obedecer Preterite Conjugation
obedecer — to obey
Obedecer is completely regular in the preterite: obedecí, obedeciste, obedeció, obedecimos, obedecisteis, obedecieron.
obedecer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when someone followed a specific order or command at a specific point in time.
Notes on obedecer in the Preterite
Even though it is irregular in the present, it follows standard -er preterite patterns perfectly.
Example Sentences
Ayer obedecí todas las órdenes del jefe.
Yesterday I obeyed all of the boss's orders.
yo
Los niños obedecieron a la primera.
The children obeyed the first time.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
¿Por qué no me obedeciste?
Why didn't you obey me?
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Él obedecio.
Correct: Él obedeció.
Why: The third-person singular needs an accent on the 'ó' to indicate the past tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: obedezco
Obedecer is mostly regular in the present, except for the 'yo' form which changes to 'obedezco'.
Imperfect
yo: obedecía
Obedecer is regular in the imperfect: obedecía, obedecías, obedecía, obedecíamos, obedecíais, obedecían.
Future
yo: obedeceré
Obedecer is regular in the future: just add the endings to the infinitive (obedeceré, obedecerás...).
Conditional
yo: obedecería
Obedecer is regular in the conditional: obedecería, obedecerías, obedecería, obedeceríamos, obedeceríais, obedecerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: obedezca
The present subjunctive uses the 'zc' stem for all persons: obedezca, obedezcas, obedezca, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: obedeciera
Formed from the 'ellos' preterite: obedeciera, obedecieras, obedeciera, obedeciéramos, obedecierais, obedecieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: obedece
The imperative uses 'obedece' for 'tú' and 'obedezca/n' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no obedezcas
All negative commands use the 'zc' stem: no obedezcas, no obedezca, no obedezcamos, no obedezcáis, no obedezcan.