poseer Preterite Conjugation
poseer — to own
The preterite of poseer features a spelling change where 'i' becomes 'y' in the third person: poseyó, poseyeron.
poseer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to state that someone came into possession of something or owned it during a specific, completed timeframe in the past.
Notes on poseer in the Preterite
This is a 'y-verb'. In the 3rd person singular and plural, the 'i' changes to 'y' to avoid three vowels in a row. Also, the 'i' in other forms carries an accent (poseí, poseíste, poseímos).
Example Sentences
Él poseyó la empresa durante diez años.
He owned the company for ten years.
él/ella/usted
Poseímos esa casa en los años noventa.
We owned that house in the nineties.
nosotros
Ellos poseyeron el récord por poco tiempo.
They held the record for a short time.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'poseió' instead of 'poseyó'.
Correct: poseyó
Why: In Spanish, an unstressed 'i' between two vowels must change to a 'y'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: poseo
The present tense of poseer is regular in spelling, but remember it has a double 'e' in the stem: poseo, posees, posee.
Imperfect
yo: poseía
The imperfect of poseer is regular for -er verbs: poseía, poseías, poseía, poseíamos, poseíais, poseían.
Future
yo: poseeré
The future tense of poseer is regular: poseeré, poseerás, poseerá, poseeremos, poseeréis, poseerán.
Conditional
yo: poseería
The conditional of poseer is regular: poseería, poseerías, poseería, poseeríamos, poseeríais, poseerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: posea
The present subjunctive of poseer is regular: posea, poseas, posea, poseamos, poseáis, posean.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: poseyera
The imperfect subjunctive of poseer uses the 'y' from the preterite: poseyera, poseyeras, poseyera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: posee
The imperative of poseer is used to command someone to possess or take ownership: posee, posea, poseamos, poseed, posean.
Negative Imperative
yo: no poseas
The negative imperative of poseer uses the present subjunctive: no poseas, no posea, no poseamos, no poseáis, no posean.