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pertenecía

per-teh-neh-SEE-ah/peɾteneˈθia/

“pertenecía” means “belonged” in Spanish (showing who owned something in the past).

belonged

Also: used to belong, was part of
VerbB1irregular in some forms er
A small child holding a worn teddy bear that shows signs of being loved for a long time.
gerundperteneciendo
past Participlepertenecido
infinitivepertenecer

📝 In Action

Esa casa pertenecía a mi familia hace muchos años.

A2

That house belonged to my family many years ago.

Yo pertenecía al equipo de fútbol de la escuela.

B1

I belonged to the school soccer team.

El libro le pertenecía a ella, pero lo perdió.

B1

The book belonged to her, but she lost it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • formaba parte (was part of)

Antonyms

  • ajeno (belonging to someone else)

Common Collocations

  • pertenecía a una familia – belonged to a family
  • le pertenecía por derecho – it belonged to him/her by right

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespertenecieran
yoperteneciera
túpertenecieras
vosotrospertenecierais
nosotrosperteneciéramos
él/ella/ustedperteneciera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespertenezcan
yopertenezca
túpertenezcas
vosotrospertenezcáis
nosotrospertenezcamos
él/ella/ustedpertenezca

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedespertenecieron
yopertenecí
túperteneciste
vosotrospertenecisteis
nosotrospertenecimos
él/ella/ustedperteneció

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespertenecían
yopertenecía
túpertenecías
vosotrospertenecíais
nosotrospertenecíamos
él/ella/ustedpertenecía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespertenecen
yopertenezco
túperteneces
vosotrospertenecéis
nosotrospertenecemos
él/ella/ustedpertenece
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pertenecía" in Spanish:

belonged→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pertenecía

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly says 'The dog belonged to the neighbor'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'pertinere', which combines 'per' (throughout) and 'tenere' (to hold). It carries the idea of 'holding on' to something or 'reaching out' to its rightful place.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: pertainFrench: appartenir

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'pertenecía' for 'I' or 'he'?

It can be both! Depending on the sentence, it means 'I belonged' (yo pertenecía) or 'he/she/it/you formal belonged' (él/ella/usted pertenecía).