Inklingo

How to Say "sold" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “sold” is “vendió” — use 'vendió' when referring to a specific past action of selling by 'he', 'she', 'it', or 'you' (formal) in the preterite tense..

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vendió

verbA1general
Use 'vendió' when referring to a specific past action of selling by 'he', 'she', 'it', or 'you' (formal) in the preterite tense.

Examples

Mi hermano vendió su colección de cómics el año pasado.

My brother sold his comic book collection last year.

vendido

ven-DEE-doh/benˈdiðo/

adjectiveA2general
Use 'vendido' as an adjective when an item is no longer available because it has been purchased.
A single red apple resting on a wooden counter, next to a small, empty space where a coin was just removed, indicating it was recently sold.

Examples

Lo siento, ese modelo ya está vendido.

I'm sorry, that model is already sold.

Todas las entradas para el concierto fueron vendidas en una hora.

All the tickets for the concert were sold in one hour.

Hemos vendido la mitad de nuestra mercancía.

We have sold half of our merchandise.

Ellos habían vendido todo antes de que llegáramos.

They had sold everything before we arrived.

Adjective Agreement

Remember that 'vendido' must change its ending to match the thing it describes: 'vendida' (feminine singular), 'vendidos' (masculine plural), 'vendidas' (feminine plural).

The 'Perfect' Helper

When used with the verb 'haber' (to have), 'vendido' never changes its ending. It is always 'vendido,' regardless of who or what sold something.

Mixing Ser and Estar

Mistake: “La casa es vendida. (Incorrect)”

Correction: La casa está vendida. (Correct). Use 'estar' because being 'sold' describes the current state or result of the action, not a permanent characteristic.

Participle Agreement Error

Mistake: “Hemos vendidas las manzanas. (Incorrect)”

Correction: Hemos vendido las manzanas. (Correct). The participle only changes when used as a stand-alone adjective, not when forming perfect tenses with 'haber'.

vendido

verbB1general
Use 'vendido' as the past participle with the auxiliary verb 'haber' (e.g., 'hemos vendido') to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed in the past with present relevance.

Examples

Hemos vendido la mitad de nuestra mercancía.

We have sold half of our merchandise.

Preterite vs. Participle

The most common mistake is confusing the preterite form 'vendió' (he/she/it sold) with the past participle 'vendido' (sold). Remember that 'vendió' describes a completed action by a subject, while 'vendido' is used as an adjective or with 'haber' to form perfect tenses.

Related Translations

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