Convenir in the Preterite Tense
Convenir means “to agree, to suit”, and this page covers exactly one thing: convenir in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for convenir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about convenir in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor.” — Yesterday, I agreed a fair price with the seller. Everything on this page uses the forms of convenir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Convenir in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | convine |
| tú | conviniste |
| él/ella/Ud. | convino |
| nosotros/as | convinimos |
| vosotros/as | convinisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | convinieron |
Gerund: conviniendo · Past participle: convenido
The gerund is conviniendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy conviniendo” means the action of convenir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is convenido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he convenido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how convenir is used.
How the preterite of convenir is formed
Convenir does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of venir, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -vin- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. Learn the six forms as a set: yo convine, tú conviniste, él/ella/Ud. convino, nosotros/as convinimos, vosotros/as convinisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. convinieron.
When to use the preterite of convenir
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use convenir in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor.” — Yesterday, I agreed a fair price with the seller.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros convinimos una fecha para la reunión.” — We agreed a date for the meeting.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él convino a todos salir temprano ayer.” — He agreed everyone to leave early yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos convinieron en los detalles del contrato de repente.” — They agreed on the details of the contract suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú conviniste un precio justo con el vendedor la semana pasada.” — You agreed a fair price with the seller last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor.” — Yesterday, I agreed a fair price with the seller.
Imperfect: “Yo convenía un precio justo con el vendedor cada día.” — I used to agree a fair price with the seller every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él convino una fecha para la reunión.” — Last night, he agreed a date for the meeting.
Imperfect: “Él convenía una fecha para la reunión todos los días.” — He used to agree a date for the meeting every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros convinimos a todos salir temprano ayer.” — We agreed everyone to leave early yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros conveníamos a todos salir temprano cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to agree everyone to leave early when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: convenir in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Convine un precio justo con el vendedor.” — I agreed a fair price with the seller.
“Conviniste una fecha para la reunión.” — You agreed a date for the meeting.
“Convino a todos salir temprano.” — He/she agreed everyone to leave early.
“Convinimos en los detalles del contrato.” — We agreed on the details of the contract.
“Convinisteis un precio justo con el vendedor.” — You agreed a fair price with the seller.
“Convinieron una fecha para la reunión.” — They agreed a date for the meeting.
“Convine a todos salir temprano.” — I agreed everyone to leave early.
“Convino en los detalles del contrato.” — He/she agreed on the details of the contract.
Common mistakes with convenir in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos convino un precio justo con el vendedor.” Right: “Ellos convinieron un precio justo con el vendedor.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form convinieron. The singular convino belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo convení una fecha para la reunión.” Right: “Ayer yo convine una fecha para la reunión.” Why: Convenir has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is convine, not the regular convení.
Wrong: “Nosotros conviniste a todos salir temprano.” Right: “Nosotros convinimos a todos salir temprano.” Why: Nosotros needs convinimos. The tú form conviniste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos convine en los detalles del contrato.” Right: “Ellos convinieron en los detalles del contrato.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form convinieron, not the yo form convine.
Quiz: convenir in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ un precio justo con el vendedor.” (A fair price with the seller.)
- (a) convine
- (b) conviniste
- (c) convino
Answer: convine — The yo form of convenir in the preterite is convine. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ una fecha para la reunión?” (A date for the meeting.)
- (a) convine
- (b) convino
- (c) conviniste
Answer: conviniste — The tú form of convenir in the preterite is conviniste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a todos salir temprano.” (Everyone to leave early.)
- (a) conviniste
- (b) convino
- (c) convine
Answer: convino — The él/ella/Ud. form of convenir in the preterite is convino. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en los detalles del contrato.” (On the details of the contract.)
- (a) convinimos
- (b) convine
- (c) conviniste
Answer: convinimos — The nosotros/as form of convenir in the preterite is convinimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of convenir in the preterite?
- (a) convine
- (b) conviniste
- (c) convinisteis
Answer: convinisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes convinisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros convinisteis un precio justo con el vendedor.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una fecha para la reunión.” (A date for the meeting.)
- (a) conviniste
- (b) convinieron
- (c) convine
Answer: convinieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of convenir in the preterite is convinieron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of convenir in the preterite?
- (a) convine
- (b) conviniste
- (c) convino
Answer: convine — The yo form is convine. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo convenía un precio justo con el vendedor cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo convendré un precio justo con el vendedor.
- (c) Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor.
Answer: Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor. — “Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is convenir regular in the preterite?
No. Convenir has an irregular preterite: convine, conviniste, convino, convinimos, convinisteis, convinieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of convenir?
The past participle is convenido: 'He convenido' means 'I have agreed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is conviniendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for convenir?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo convine un precio justo con el vendedor. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo convenía un precio justo con el vendedor cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of convenir?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo convine, tú conviniste, él/ella/Ud. convino, nosotros/as convinimos, vosotros/as convinisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. convinieron. Then write three of your own sentences with convenir in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of convenir — every tense of convenir in one place.
- Convenir examples and quiz — more sentences with convenir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on convenir and other verbs.