Inklingo

soler

so-LEHR/soˈleɾ/

soler means to usually do in Spanish (describing a current habit).

to usually do, to be used to doing

Also: to tend to
VerbA2irregular er
A child eating a red apple every morning while sitting at a kitchen table.
gerundsoliendo (rarely used)
infinitivesoler
past Participlesolido (rarely used)

📝 In Action

Suelo desayunar café con tostadas.

A1

I usually have coffee and toast for breakfast.

Cuando era niño, solía jugar en el parque todos los días.

A2

When I was a child, I used to play in the park every day.

No suele llover mucho en esta época del año.

B1

It doesn't usually rain much at this time of year.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • desacostumbrar (to get out of a habit)

Common Collocations

  • como suele sucederas usually happens
  • lo que se suele decirwhat is usually said
  • no suele ser asíit is not usually like that

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

present

yosuela
nosotrossolamos
vosotrossoláis
él/ella/ustedsuela
ellos/ellas/ustedessuelan
suelas

imperfect

yosoliera
nosotrossoliéramos
vosotrossolierais
él/ella/ustedsoliera
ellos/ellas/ustedessolieran
solieras

indicative

present

yosuelo
nosotrossolemos
vosotrossoléis
él/ella/ustedsuele
ellos/ellas/ustedessuelen
sueles

preterite

yosolí
nosotrossolimos
vosotrossolisteis
él/ella/ustedsolió
ellos/ellas/ustedessolieron
soliste

imperfect

yosolía
nosotrossolíamos
vosotrossolíais
él/ella/ustedsolía
ellos/ellas/ustedessolían
solías

🔀 Commonly Confused With

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: soler

Question 1 of 3

How would you say 'We usually eat at 2 PM'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
insólito(unusual/extraordinary)Adjective
solencia(habit/custom (archaic))Noun
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

From the Latin word 'solere', which carries the exact same meaning of being accustomed to or in the habit of something.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: solere

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'soler' in the future tense?

Technically yes, but it sounds very strange. To say 'I will usually,' Spanish speakers prefer to use phrases like 'normalmente' (normally) + the future tense of the main verb.

Does 'soler' mean the same thing as 'estar acostumbrado a'?

They are close! 'Soler' describes the frequency of the action (usually doing it), while 'estar acostumbrado a' describes your feeling of being adjusted to it (being used to it).

Is 'soler' a stem-changing verb?

Yes! In the present tense, the 'o' changes to 'ue' in all forms except 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'.