Mixing Past Tenses

‘Permitió’ is used when the action of allowing happened once and was finished at a specific point in the past. Think of it as a single event on a timeline.

A Specific Completed Action

This form always refers to a third person singular subject: 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), or 'usted' (the formal 'you'). It can also refer to an object like 'el sistema' (the system) or 'la regla' (the rule).

Who Did the Action?

When 'permitió' introduces a change of subject in the past, the next verb must be in the imperfect subjunctive: 'El juez permitió que *entraran* los testigos' (The judge allowed the witnesses to enter).

Triggering the Subjunctive

Extremely common, used daily when narrating past events.

'Permitió' is the Spanish simple past (preterite) tense meaning 'he/she/it allowed' or 'permitted.' Learn its conjugation, usage tips, and difference from other past tenses.

permitió

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

imperative

affirmative

negative

subjunctive

imperfect

present

indicative

conditional

preterite

imperfect

present

future

Practice Conjugations