soñé
soh-NYEH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Anoche soñé con un perro gigante que hablaba.
A1Last night I dreamed about a giant dog that talked.
¿Con quién soñé? No lo recuerdo.
A2Who did I dream about? I don't remember it.
Cuando era niño, siempre soñé con viajar al espacio.
B1When I was a child, I always dreamed of traveling to space.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'Yo' Form of the Past
The word 'soñé' is the simple past action done by 'yo' (I). It tells us the action (dreaming) was completed and finished at a specific time, like 'last night' or 'yesterday'.
No Stem Change in the Simple Past
The verb 'soñar' changes its vowel (o > ue) in the present tense (yo sueño), but it is a regular verb in the simple past, so the stem stays 'soñ-' throughout, including in 'soñé'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Preterite vs. Imperfect (Specific Past vs. Habitual Past)
Mistake: "Usar 'yo soñaba' para un evento específico: 'Ayer soñaba con gatos.'"
Correction: Use 'yo soñé' for a single, completed event: 'Ayer soñé con gatos.' ('Soñaba' means 'I used to dream' or 'I was dreaming' when something else happened.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Using 'Con'
In Spanish, when you talk about what you dreamed, you almost always use the preposition 'con' (with/about): 'Soñé con un dragón' (I dreamed about a dragon).
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
imperfect
present
preterite
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: soñé
Question 1 of 2
Which English sentence correctly translates the meaning of 'soñé'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'soñé' a regular or irregular verb?
In the simple past tense (the tense of 'soñé'), it is regular, following the standard '-ar' verb pattern. However, in the present tense (like 'yo sueño'), it is considered irregular because the vowel 'o' changes to 'ue'.
What is the difference between 'soñé' and 'soñaba'?
'Soñé' (simple past) describes a single, completed action: 'I dreamed about the trip' (one time). 'Soñaba' (imperfect past) describes an ongoing, habitual, or descriptive past action: 'I used to dream a lot' or 'I was dreaming when the phone rang.'