soler Preterite Conjugation
soler — to usually do
The preterite of soler (solí, soliste...) is rare because 'usually' conflicts with the preterite's specific timeframe.
soler Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use this only when referring to a habit that occurred during a very specific, closed period of time that has ended.
Notes on soler in the Preterite
Soler is regular in the preterite, though the tense itself is rarely used for this verb.
Example Sentences
Solí ir al gimnasio ese mes, pero luego lo dejé.
I usually went to the gym that month, but then I stopped.
yo
Durante el viaje, solieron comer fuera.
During the trip, they usually ate out.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using preterite when imperfect is intended.
Correct: Use 'solía' for 'I used to'.
Why: Soler describes a habit, which naturally fits the imperfect much better than the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: suelo
The present tense of soler is a stem-changer (o > ue) used to describe habits: suelo, sueles, suele, solemos, soléis, suelen.
Imperfect
yo: solía
The imperfect of soler is regular (solía, solías...) and is the most common way to describe past habits.
Future
yo: soleré
The future of soler (soleré, solerás...) is regular and describes habits you expect to form.
Conditional
yo: solería
The conditional of soler (solería, solerías...) is regular and describes hypothetical habits.
Present Subjunctive
yo: suela
The present subjunctive of soler (suela, suelas...) maintains the o > ue stem change.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: soliera
The imperfect subjunctive of soler (soliera, solieras...) is regular and used for past or hypothetical habits.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: suele
The imperative of soler (suele, soled...) is grammatically possible but almost never used in real life.
Negative Imperative
yo: no suelas
The negative imperative of soler (no suelas, no suela...) uses the present subjunctive forms.