A cartoon illustration of a cheerful character standing outside a closed blue door, patting their empty pants pocket with a look of sudden realization that they forgot something.

olvidó

ohl-vee-DOH

VerbA1regular ar

forgot?He/she/it forgot,left behind?Forgot an item somewhere

Also:failed to remember?Mental lapse

Quick Reference

infinitiveolvidar

gerundolvidando

past Participleolvidado

📝 In Action

Mi hermano olvidó la cartera en casa antes de irse.

My brother forgot his wallet at home before leaving.

¿Por qué usted olvidó apagar las luces anoche?

Why did you (formal) forget to turn off the lights last night?

Ella olvidó por completo lo que le dije.

She completely forgot what I told her.

Word Connections

Synonyms

desmemorió (failed to remember)
omitir (to omit)

Antonyms

recordó (remembered)
trajo (brought)

Common Collocations

olvidó por completo – completely forgot
olvidó el nombre – forgot the name

💡 Grammar Points

The Simple Past (Preterite)

The form 'olvidó' describes an action that started and finished at a specific point in the past, like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.

Using Reflexive vs. Non-Reflexive

'Olvidar' (like in 'olvidó el libro') is used when you forget an object. 'Olvidarse de' (like 'se olvidó de la cita') is often used when you forget to do something or forget about a person.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Past Tenses

Mistake: "Using 'olvidaba' (imperfect) instead of 'olvidó' (preterite) for a single, sudden event."

Correction: 'Olvidó' is for one specific moment: 'Ayer olvidó la llave.' (Yesterday he forgot the key.) 'Olvidaba' describes a habit or background action in the past.

⭐ Usage Tips

Focus on the Subject

Remember that 'olvidó' applies to 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), 'usted' (formal you), or a singular noun subject (e.g., 'El perro olvidó...').

🔄 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: olvidó

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'olvidó'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

olvidar(to forget) - verb

olvido(forgetfulness/oblivion) - noun

olvidadizo(forgetful) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'olvidó' and 'olvidaba'?

'Olvidó' is the simple past (preterite) and means the forgetting happened once and was finished: 'She forgot the key yesterday.' 'Olvidaba' is the descriptive past (imperfect) and describes a past habit or a state of mind: 'She used to forget things easily.'

Can I use 'olvidó' to say 'it forgot itself'?

Not exactly. If you want to emphasize that the object or memory was lost without intention, you should use the reflexive structure: 'Se le olvidó la hora' (He forgot the time, literally: The time forgot itself to him). 'Olvidó' implies the subject actively forgot.