olvidé
“olvidé” means “I forgot” in Spanish (a past, completed action).
📝 In Action
¡Lo siento! Olvidé completamente tu cumpleaños.
A1I'm sorry! I completely forgot your birthday.
Salí de la casa tan rápido que olvidé mis llaves.
A2I left the house so quickly that I forgot my keys.
Olvidé el asunto después de que terminamos la reunión.
B1I forgot about the issue after we finished the meeting.
Word Connections
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
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Words that translate to "olvidé" in Spanish:
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: olvidé
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'olvidé' to describe a single, finished action?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family
📚 Etymology
The base verb *olvidar* comes from the Latin verb *oblitāre*, which is related to *oblivisci* (to forget). The 'é' ending is the standard marker in Spanish for the first-person singular past tense of verbs ending in '-ar'.
First recorded: Medieval Spanish (The base verb *olvidar* appears in earlier forms of Ibero-Romance).
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'olvidé' and 'me olvidé'?
'Olvidé' (I forgot) is used when you are clearly the one who forgot something: 'Olvidé el nombre.' (I forgot the name.) 'Me olvidé' (or 'Me olvidé de') emphasizes the sudden occurrence of the forgetting, often implying it was accidental: 'Me olvidé de la reunión.' (I forgot about the meeting.) Both are very common and often interchangeable in casual speech, but 'olvidé' is simpler and directly refers to the forgotten item.
How do I say 'I was forgetting'?
For an ongoing or habitual action of forgetting in the past, you would use the imperfect tense: 'olvidaba'. For example: 'Siempre olvidaba las fechas importantes' (I always used to forget important dates).