A happy cartoon fox standing on a hill, proudly holding a single, large, shiny gold coin in its paws, illustrating the successful acquisition of an item.

obtuvo

ob-TOO-voh

verbB1irregular er

got?received or acquired (past tense),obtained?formally acquired (past tense)

Also:achieved?a goal or result (past tense),received?something given (past tense)

Quick Reference

infinitiveobtener

gerundobteniendo

past Participleobtenido

📝 In Action

Ella obtuvo la mejor nota en el examen de matemáticas.

She got the best grade on the math test.

El presidente obtuvo el apoyo de toda la comunidad.

The president obtained the support of the entire community.

Mi tío obtuvo su licencia de conducir el año pasado.

My uncle got his driver's license last year.

La empresa obtuvo grandes ganancias en el último trimestre.

The company achieved large profits in the last quarter.

Word Connections

Synonyms

consiguió ((he/she) got)
logró ((he/she) achieved)
recibió ((he/she) received)

Antonyms

perdió ((he/she) lost)
cedió ((he/she) gave up)

Common Collocations

obtuvo un premio – he/she won an award
obtuvo permiso – he/she got permission

💡 Grammar Points

A Past Action, Finished

‘Obtuvo’ is used when talking about a single action that started and finished completely in the past, like getting a job or receiving a specific item.

Irregularity Alert

The base verb 'obtener' (to obtain) follows the same irregular pattern as 'tener' (to have). Notice how the 'tuv-' sound appears in the past tense forms like 'obtuve' and 'obtuvo'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing Up Past Tenses

Mistake: "Usando 'obtenía' cuando la acción terminó."

Correction: Use 'obtuvo' for a completed past action (e.g., 'She got the key'). Use 'obtenía' only for repeated or ongoing actions in the past (e.g., 'She used to get good grades').

⭐ Usage Tips

Formal vs. Casual

'Obtuvo' is a bit more formal than 'consiguió' or 'recibió', especially when discussing achievements, documents, or official results.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedobtiene

yoobtengo

túobtienes

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtienen

nosotrosobtenemos

vosotrosobtenéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedobtenía

yoobtenía

túobtenías

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtenían

nosotrosobteníamos

vosotrosobteníais

preterite

él/ella/ustedobtuvo

yoobtuve

túobtuviste

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtuvieron

nosotrosobtuvimos

vosotrosobtuvisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedobtenga

yoobtenga

túobtengas

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtengan

nosotrosobtengamos

vosotrosobtengáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedobtuviera

yoobtuviera

túobtuvieras

ellos/ellas/ustedesobtuvieran

nosotrosobtuviéramos

vosotrosobtuvierais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: obtuvo

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'obtuvo'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

obtener(to obtain, to get) - verb

obtención(obtaining, acquisition) - noun

obtenido(obtained, gotten) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'obtuvo' a regular verb form?

No, 'obtuvo' is highly irregular. It comes from the verb 'obtener,' which is related to 'tener' (to have). The 'uv' sound in 'obtuvo' is a hallmark of this irregular past tense family in Spanish.

What is the base form of 'obtuvo'?

The base form, or infinitive, is 'obtener,' which means 'to obtain' or 'to get.' 'Obtuvo' simply tells you that 'he,' 'she,' or 'it' performed that action in the past.