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A high quality storybook illustration showing a small, simple character standing in a doorway, looking back with a look of sudden realization at a bright red object (like a key or a lunchbox) sitting alone on a table.

olvidaste

ol-vee-DAHS-teh

verbA2regular ar
you forgot?informal singular past tense,you left behind?when referring to an object
Also:did you forget?often used in questions

Quick Reference

infinitiveolvidar
gerundolvidando
past Participleolvidado

📝 In Action

¿Olvidaste mi cumpleaños? ¡No puede ser!

A2

You forgot my birthday? It can't be!

Olvidaste la cartera en el coche, ten cuidado.

A2

You left your wallet in the car, be careful.

Pensé que lo harías, pero olvidaste terminar el informe a tiempo.

B1

I thought you would do it, but you forgot to finish the report on time.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • no recordar (not remember)
  • dejar (to leave something behind)

Antonyms

  • recordaste (you remembered)
  • acordaste (you agreed/remembered)

Common Collocations

  • olvidaste por completo – you completely forgot
  • olvidaste el nombre – you forgot the name

💡 Grammar Points

It's a Completed Past Action

The ending '-aste' tells us the action of forgetting happened at a specific point in the past and is now finished. This is the simple past tense (Pretérito).

The 'Tú' Form

This word is only used when talking directly and informally to one person (the 'tú' form), meaning 'You forgot.'

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Reflexive Pronoun

Mistake: "Using 'olvidaste' when you mean 'you forgot (it just slipped your mind).' (E.g., 'Olvidaste el libro.')"

Correction: Often, Spanish speakers use the reflexive form 'olvidarse' to describe forgetting something passively: 'Se te olvidó el libro' (The book was forgotten by you). Use 'olvidaste' when the forgetting was a more active failure.

⭐ Usage Tips

Question Starter

In Spanish, you don't need 'Did you...'; just start your question with the verb: '¿Olvidaste...?' (Did you forget...?)

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedolvida
yoolvido
túolvidas
ellos/ellas/ustedesolvidan
nosotrosolvidamos
vosotrosolvidáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedolvidaba
yoolvidaba
túolvidabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesolvidaban
nosotrosolvidábamos
vosotrosolvidabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedolvidó
yoolvidé
túolvidaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesolvidaron
nosotrosolvidamos
vosotrosolvidasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedolvide
yoolvide
túolvides
ellos/ellas/ustedesolviden
nosotrosolvidemos
vosotrosolvidéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedolvidara/olvidase
yoolvidara/olvidase
túolvidaras/olvidases
ellos/ellas/ustedesolvidaran/olvidasen
nosotrosolvidáramos/olvidásemos
vosotrosolvidarais/olvidaseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: olvidaste

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'olvidaste' correctly?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

olvidar(to forget (infinitive)) - verb
olvido(forgetfulness/oblivion) - noun
olvidadizo(forgetful (person)) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'olvidaste' when talking to my boss?

No. 'Olvidaste' is the informal 'tú' form. When speaking to a boss, teacher, or elder, you should use the formal 'usted' form, which is 'olvidó' (Usted olvidó).

Is 'olvidaste' a stem-changing verb?

No, 'olvidar' is a regular -AR verb. Its stem (olvid-) remains the same throughout its conjugations, making it easy to learn.