olvidar Preterite Conjugation
olvidar — to forget
The preterite of olvidar is regular: olvidé, olvidaste, olvidó, olvidamos, olvidasteis, olvidaron.
olvidar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for specific instances where you forgot something at a particular moment, like forgetting your wallet this morning or forgetting to call someone yesterday.
Notes on olvidar in the Preterite
Olvidar is regular in the preterite. Note that the 'nosotros' form 'olvidamos' is the same as the present tense; context will tell you if it's past or present.
Example Sentences
Ayer olvidé mi paraguas en el autobús.
Yesterday I forgot my umbrella on the bus.
yo
¿Olvidaste cerrar la puerta con llave?
Did you forget to lock the door?
tú
Ellos olvidaron traer la comida a la fiesta.
They forgot to bring the food to the party.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: olvido (without accent) for él/ella/usted.
Correct: olvidó
Why: Without the accent, 'olvido' is the first-person present ('I forget'), while 'olvidó' is the third-person past ('he/she forgot').
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'olvidar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: olvido
Olvidar is regular in the present: olvido, olvidas, olvida, olvidamos, olvidáis, olvidan.
Imperfect
yo: olvidaba
Olvidar in the imperfect is regular: olvidaba, olvidabas, olvidaba, olvidábamos, olvidabais, olvidaban.
Future
yo: olvidaré
The future of olvidar uses the infinitive plus endings: olvidaré, olvidarás, olvidará, olvidaremos, olvidaréis, olvidarán.
Conditional
yo: olvidaría
The conditional of olvidar is regular: olvidaría, olvidarías, olvidaría, olvidaríamos, olvidaríais, olvidarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: olvide
The present subjunctive of olvidar is regular: olvide, olvides, olvide, olvidemos, olvidéis, olviden.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: olvidara
The imperfect subjunctive of olvidar is regular: olvidara, olvidaras, olvidara, olvidáramos, olvidarais, olvidaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: olvida
The imperative of olvidar is: olvida (tú), olvide (usted), olvidemos (nosotros), olvidad (vosotros), olviden (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no olvides
The negative imperative of olvidar uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no olvides, no olvide, no olvidemos, no olvidéis, no olviden.