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obtuve

ob-TOO-beh

verbA2irregular er
I got?general achievement or receiving something
Also:I obtained?formal or official documents/results,I achieved?goals or prizes

Quick Reference

gerundobteniendo
past Participleobtenido
infinitiveobtener

📝 In Action

Obtuve mi licencia de conducir el mes pasado.

A2

I got my driver's license last month.

Finalmente obtuve las respuestas que buscaba.

B1

I finally obtained the answers I was looking for.

Obtuve una beca para estudiar en España.

A2

I achieved/got a scholarship to study in Spain.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • obtuve permiso – I got permission
  • obtuve buenos resultados – I got good results

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Completed Past' Tense

Obtuve is the 'I' form used for actions that happened and finished at a specific time in the past (the Preterite).

Irregular 'Uve' Pattern

Just like the word 'tuve' (I had), many words related to 'tener' change their middle part to 'uv' when talking about the past.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't follow the 'er' rule

Mistake: "obtuví"

Correction: obtuve. Even though many 'er' verbs end in 'í' in the past (like 'comí'), this special group ends in 'e'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Think of 'Tener'

Whenever you see 'obtuve', think of 'tuve' (I had). It literally means 'I came to have' something.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtuvieran
yoobtuviera
túobtuvieras
vosotrosobtuvierais
nosotrosobtuviéramos
él/ella/ustedobtuviera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtengan
yoobtenga
túobtengas
vosotrosobtengáis
nosotrosobtengamos
él/ella/ustedobtenga

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtuvieron
yoobtuve
túobtuviste
vosotrosobtuvisteis
nosotrosobtuvimos
él/ella/ustedobtuvo

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtenían
yoobtenía
túobtenías
vosotrosobteníais
nosotrosobteníamos
él/ella/ustedobtenía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtienen
yoobtengo
túobtienes
vosotrosobtenéis
nosotrosobtenemos
él/ella/ustedobtiene
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: obtuve

Question 1 of 1

If you want to say 'I got an A on my test' (a finished action), which would you use?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

obtener(to get/obtain) - verb
obtención(obtainment/procurement) - noun
obtenible(obtainable) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'obtuve' formal?

It's slightly more formal than 'conseguí' (I got), but it is used very commonly in everyday conversation, especially for official things like grades, documents, or prizes.

Why isn't it 'obtuví'?

Spanish has a group of irregular verbs that use an 'e' ending for the 'I' form in the past instead of the usual 'í'. This group includes tener (tuve), estar (estuve), and obtener (obtuve).