invitó
een-vee-TOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Mi hermano me invitó a cenar anoche.
A1My brother invited me to dinner last night.
¿Quién invitó a María a la fiesta?
A2Who invited Maria to the party?
Él invitó los cafés para todos.
B1He paid for the coffees for everyone. (He treated us to coffee.)
Ella me invitó a su boda, pero no pude ir.
B1She invited me to her wedding, but I couldn't go.
💡 Grammar Points
The Simple Past (Preterite)
This form, 'invitó', tells you that the action started and finished at a specific point in the past (e.g., last night, last year). It’s used for single, completed events.
Who Did the Action?
Because the verb ends in '-ó', we know the person who invited was 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), or 'usted' (you, formal). Spanish often leaves out the pronoun since the verb ending tells us who is acting.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Accent Mark
Mistake: "invito (I invite)"
Correction: invitó (He/She invited). The accent mark is CRUCIAL; it shifts the stress and changes the tense from Present ('I invite') to Simple Past ('He invited').
⭐ Usage Tips
Inviting vs. Treating
In Spanish, 'invitar' is used for both 'to ask someone to an event' and 'to treat someone' (to pay for their meal or drink). Context will tell you which meaning is intended.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: invitó
Question 1 of 2
Which English phrase best translates the sentence: 'Mi jefe invitó el almuerzo'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
If I want to say 'We invited,' is it 'invitó'?
No. 'Invitó' is only for 'he,' 'she,' or 'you' (formal). To say 'We invited' (simple past), you use 'invitamos.' Be careful: 'invitamos' is also 'we invite' in the present tense!
Why is 'invitó' the simple past and not 'invitaba'?
'Invitó' (the simple past) is used for actions that happened once and finished completely (e.g., 'He invited her yesterday'). 'Invitaba' (the continuous past) is for ongoing, repeated, or descriptive actions in the past (e.g., 'He used to invite her often').