responder Preterite Conjugation
responder — answer
The preterite of responder is regular: respondí, respondiste, respondió, respondimos, respondisteis, respondieron.
responder Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed action where someone answered a specific question or responded to an event at a definite point in time.
Notes on responder in the Preterite
Responder is regular in the preterite. Note that the 'nosotros' form (respondimos) is distinct from the present tense (respondemos).
Example Sentences
Le pregunté y me respondió que no.
I asked him and he answered me no.
él/ella/usted
Respondí a todas las preguntas del examen.
I answered all the questions on the exam.
yo
Ellos respondieron al anuncio ayer.
They responded to the ad yesterday.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'respondi' without the accent.
Correct: The form is respondí.
Why: Without the accent, the pronunciation and tense are incorrect; the accent marks the past tense 'yo' form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: respondo
The present of responder is regular: respondo, respondes, responde, respondemos, respondéis, responden.
Imperfect
yo: respondía
The imperfect of responder is regular: respondía, respondías, respondía, respondíamos, respondíais, respondían.
Future
yo: responderé
The future of responder is regular: responderé, responderás, responderá, responderemos, responderéis, responderán.
Conditional
yo: respondería
The conditional of responder is regular: respondería, responderías, respondería, responderíamos, responderíais, responderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: responda
The present subjunctive of responder is regular: responda, respondas, responda, respondamos, respondáis, respondan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: respondiera
The imperfect subjunctive of responder is: respondiera, respondieras, respondiera, respondiéramos, respondierais, respondieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: responde
The affirmative imperative of responder is: responde (tú), responda (usted), respondamos (nosotros), responded (vosotros), respondan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no respondas
Negative commands for responder use the subjunctive: no respondas, no responda, no respondamos, no respondáis, no respondan.