Caber Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The preterite tense of caber — “to fit” in English — is the form you need for completed actions in the past: things that happened once and finished. This page gives you the full preterite conjugation table for caber with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Caber means to fit, and it is used for things fitting into a space: a suitcase fits in the car, a book fits on the shelf, ten people fit in the room, you fit in a dress. It is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with quepo in the present, cupe in the preterite and cabré in the future, and it must be learned as a set. Caber is a irregular verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Ayer, cupe en el coche con las maletas.
Preterite tense conjugation table: caber
Every person of caber in the preterite tense. The gerund is cabiendo and the past participle is cabido.
Preterite indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cupe |
| tú | cupiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | cupo |
| nosotros/as | cupimos |
| vosotros/as | cupisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cupieron |
How the preterite of caber is formed
The preterite of caber is built from the stem cab- plus the preterite endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -í | cupe |
| tú | -iste | cupiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | -ió | cupo |
| nosotros/as | -imos | cupimos |
| vosotros/as | -isteis | cupisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -ieron | cupieron |
The preterite of caber does not use the stem cab- at all: it is built on the irregular stem cup-, giving cupe, cupiste, cupo, cupimos, cupisteis and cupieron. Learn these six forms as a set, and do not try to build them from the infinitive.
When to use the preterite tense with caber
One completed action
Use the preterite for an action that happened once and finished.
Ayer, Yo cupe en la estantería del salón. — Yesterday, I fit on the living-room shelf.
A sequence of events
Use the preterite for events in order, one after another.
Primero cupe en la maleta del viaje, y luego cupo en el coche con las maletas. — First I fit in the travel suitcase, and then he fit in the car with the suitcases.
An action that interrupts
Use the preterite for the action that interrupts a longer background action.
Mientras cabía en la estantería del salón, cupo en el armario del dormitorio. — While I used to fit on the living-room shelf, he fit in the bedroom wardrobe.
Specific time expressions
Use the preterite with ayer, anoche, el año pasado and el lunes pasado.
El año pasado, Él/Ella cupo en el coche con las maletas. — Last year, He fit in the car with the suitcases.
A sudden change
Use the preterite for a sudden change or a single event that stands out.
De repente, Nosotros/as cupimos en el armario del dormitorio. — Suddenly, We fit in the bedroom wardrobe.
The preterite vs the imperfect
The preterite and the imperfect answer different questions: the preterite says what happened once and finished, while the imperfect says what used to happen or what was going on in the background. Compare the same idea in both tenses with caber.
- Ayer, Yo cupe en la maleta del viaje. — Yesterday, I fit in the travel suitcase. / De niño, Yo cabía en la maleta del viaje. — As a child, I used to fit in the travel suitcase.
- Ayer, Yo cupe en el coche con las maletas. — Yesterday, I fit in the car with the suitcases. / De niño, Yo cabía en el coche con las maletas. — As a child, I used to fit in the car with the suitcases.
- Ayer, Yo cupe en la estantería del salón. — Yesterday, I fit on the living-room shelf. / De niño, Yo cabía en la estantería del salón. — As a child, I used to fit on the living-room shelf.
Example sentences in the preterite tense
Seven sentences with caber in the preterite tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo cupe en la maleta del viaje. — I fit in the travel suitcase.
- Tú cupiste en el coche con las maletas. — You fit in the car with the suitcases.
- Él/Ella cupo en la estantería del salón. — He fit on the living-room shelf.
- Nosotros/as cupimos en el armario del dormitorio. — We fit in the bedroom wardrobe.
- Vosotros/as cupisteis en la maleta del viaje. — You fit in the travel suitcase.
- Ellos/as cupieron en el coche con las maletas. — They fit in the car with the suitcases.
- Yo cupe en la estantería del salón. — I fit on the living-room shelf.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo cupo en la maleta del viaje. — Right: Yo cupe en la maleta del viaje. — The person matters: cupo is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cupe.
- Wrong: Yo cabí en el coche con las maletas. — Right: Yo cupe en el coche con las maletas. — Caber is highly irregular: the preterite is yo cupe, never cabí.
- Wrong: Using caber where entrar belongs. — Right: Caber means to fit, while entrar means to go in or fit into a place. — Check the meaning before you choose: caber fits Cupe en la maleta del viaje.
- Wrong: Yo quepo en el coche con las maletas ayer. — Right: Yo cupe en el coche con las maletas ayer. — With ayer, the tense must be the preterite: cupe, not the present quepo.
Quiz: the preterite tense of caber
Eight questions on the preterite tense of caber. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la maleta del viaje. (preterite tense, yo) A. cupe B. cupiste C. cupo D. cupimos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ en el coche con las maletas. (preterite tense, tú) A. cupe B. cupo C. cupimos D. cupiste
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ en la estantería del salón. (preterite tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. cupiste B. cupimos C. cupo D. cupe
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el armario del dormitorio. (preterite tense, nosotros/as) A. cupo B. cupimos C. cupe D. cupiste
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ en la maleta del viaje. (preterite tense, vosotros/as) A. cupisteis B. cupe C. cupiste D. cupo
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en el coche con las maletas. (preterite tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. cupe B. cupiste C. cupo D. cupieron
Which is the gerund of caber? A. quepo B. cupe C. cabiendo D. cabido
Which is the past participle of caber, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cupe B. cabido C. cabiendo D. quepo
Answer key
- cupe — The yo preterite form of caber is cupe.
- cupiste — The tú preterite form of caber is cupiste.
- cupo — The él/ella/Ud. preterite form of caber is cupo.
- cupimos — The nosotros/as preterite form of caber is cupimos.
- cupisteis — The vosotros/as preterite form of caber is cupisteis.
- cupieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. preterite form of caber is cupieron.
- cabiendo — The gerund of caber is cabiendo: estoy cabiendo.
- cabido — The past participle of caber is cabido: he cabido, has cabido, ha cabido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the preterite tense of caber formed?
Take the infinitive caber, drop the -er ending to get the stem cab-, then add the preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. The full table is above, with every person. Yes, the preterite of caber is irregular: learn the forms in the table above rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
When do I use the preterite tense of caber?
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past, especially with ayer, anoche or el año pasado. For example: Ayer, cupe en el coche con las maletas.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of caber?
The preterite (cupe) and the imperfect (cabía) answer different questions: the preterite is for one finished action, while the imperfect is for habits and background in the past. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the preterite of caber?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of caber to see how the preterite fits with the other tenses, and the caber examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Caber conjugation — the full conjugation tables for caber.
- Caber examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for caber.
- Spanish preterite tense guide — when and how to use the preterite tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Preterite-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the preterite tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.