usar Preterite Conjugation
usar — to use
The preterite of usar is regular: usé, usaste, usó, usamos, usasteis, usaron.
usar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you used something once or for a specific, completed period of time. It's perfect for saying you used a coupon yesterday or used someone's phone for a quick call.
Notes on usar in the Preterite
Usar is fully regular in the preterite. Just remember the accent marks on the first and third person singular.
Example Sentences
Ayer usé el coche de mi hermano.
Yesterday I used my brother's car.
yo
Él usó un mapa para encontrar la casa.
He used a map to find the house.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros usamos el descuento en la tienda.
We used the discount at the store.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing 'usamos' (present) with 'usamos' (preterite).
Correct: Check the surrounding context or time markers.
Why: The nosotros form is identical in both tenses, which can be confusing without keywords like 'ayer'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'usar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: uso
The present tense of usar is regular: uso, usas, usa, usamos, usáis, usan.
Imperfect
yo: usaba
The imperfect of usar follows the standard -aba pattern: usaba, usabas, usaba, usábamos, usabais, usaban.
Future
yo: usaré
The future of usar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: usaré, usarás, usará, usaremos, usaréis, usarán.
Conditional
yo: usaría
The conditional of usar is regular: usaría, usarías, usaría, usaríamos, usaríais, usarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: use
The present subjunctive of usar uses 'e' endings: use, uses, use, usemos, uséis, usen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: usara
The imperfect subjunctive of usar is regular: usara, usaras, usara, usáramos, usarais, usaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: usa
The affirmative imperative of usar provides commands: usa, use, usemos, usad, usen.
Negative Imperative
yo: no uses
The negative imperative of usar uses subjunctive forms: no uses, no use, no usemos, no uséis, no usen.