decidió
deh-see-DYOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella decidió no ir a la fiesta anoche.
A1She decided not to go to the party last night.
El presidente decidió implementar nuevas reglas.
A2The president decided to implement new rules.
Usted no me consultó, simplemente decidió cambiar el plan.
B1You (formal) didn't consult me, you simply decided to change the plan.
💡 Grammar Points
The Preterite Tense
"Decidió" is the simple past (Preterite) form, used for actions that started and finished completely at a specific point in the past. Think of it as a single event.
Identifying the Subject
Since the verb form is 'decidió,' the person who did the action must be 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), or 'usted' (formal you). You usually don't need to say the pronoun if the subject is clear.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Mistake: "Using 'decidía' (Imperfect) for a single completed choice."
Correction: Use 'decidió' (Preterite) when describing the moment the choice was made. 'Decidía' would describe a habit of deciding or what they *used* to decide.
⭐ Usage Tips
Action Trigger
When 'decidió' is followed immediately by another verb, that second verb must be in its base form (infinitive): 'Decidió comprar' (He decided to buy).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: decidió
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'decidió'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'decidió' an irregular verb?
No, 'decidir' is a regular -IR verb. This means it follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ir, making its conjugation predictable and easy to learn.
How do I know if 'decidió' refers to 'he,' 'she,' or 'usted'?
You need context! Spanish often omits the pronoun. If you don't hear 'él,' 'ella,' or 'usted,' look at the surrounding sentence to see who the subject is (e.g., 'El doctor decidió' means 'he decided').