Disponer in the Preterite Tense
Disponer means “to arrange, to have available”, and this page covers exactly one thing: disponer 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 disponer, 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 disponer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo dispuse de poco tiempo libre.” — Yesterday, I arranged of little free time. Everything on this page uses the forms of disponer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Disponer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dispuse |
| tú | dispusiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | dispuso |
| nosotros/as | dispusimos |
| vosotros/as | dispusisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dispusieron |
Gerund: disponiendo · Past participle: dispuesto
The gerund is disponiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy disponiendo” means the action of disponer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is dispuesto, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he dispuesto” 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 disponer is used.
How the preterite of disponer is formed
Disponer 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 poner, with a -g- in the present (as in compongo), a -s- stem in the preterite (as in compuse), and an irregular participle (as in compuesto). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Learn the six forms as a set: yo dispuse, tú dispusiste, él/ella/Ud. dispuso, nosotros/as dispusimos, vosotros/as dispusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. dispusieron.
The irregularity of disponer is in its past participle, dispuesto, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he dispuesto, has dispuesto, ha dispuesto.
When to use the preterite of disponer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use disponer 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 dispuse de poco tiempo libre.” — Yesterday, I arranged of little free time.
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 dispusimos de dinero para el viaje.” — We arranged of money for the trip.
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 dispuso las sillas en el salón ayer.” — He arranged the chairs in the living room yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos dispusieron de una hora libre de repente.” — They arranged of an hour free 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 dispusiste de poco tiempo libre la semana pasada.” — You arranged of little free time 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 dispuse de poco tiempo libre.” — Yesterday, I arranged of little free time.
Imperfect: “Yo disponía de poco tiempo libre cada día.” — I used to arrange of little free time 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 dispuso de dinero para el viaje.” — Last night, he arranged of money for the trip.
Imperfect: “Él disponía de dinero para el viaje todos los días.” — He used to arrange of money for the trip 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 dispusimos las sillas en el salón ayer.” — We arranged the chairs in the living room yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros disponíamos las sillas en el salón cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to arrange the chairs in the living room 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: disponer 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.
“Dispuse de poco tiempo libre.” — I arranged of little free time.
“Dispusiste de dinero para el viaje.” — You arranged of money for the trip.
“Dispuso las sillas en el salón.” — He/she arranged the chairs in the living room.
“Dispusimos de una hora libre.” — We arranged of an hour free.
“Dispusisteis de poco tiempo libre.” — You arranged of little free time.
“Dispusieron de dinero para el viaje.” — They arranged of money for the trip.
“Dispuse las sillas en el salón.” — I arranged the chairs in the living room.
“Dispuso de una hora libre.” — He/she arranged of an hour free.
Common mistakes with disponer 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 dispuso de poco tiempo libre.” Right: “Ellos dispusieron de poco tiempo libre.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form dispusieron. The singular dispuso belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo disponí de dinero para el viaje.” Right: “Ayer yo dispuse de dinero para el viaje.” Why: Disponer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is dispuse, not the regular disponí.
Wrong: “Nosotros dispusiste las sillas en el salón.” Right: “Nosotros dispusimos las sillas en el salón.” Why: Nosotros needs dispusimos. The tú form dispusiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos dispuse de una hora libre.” Right: “Ellos dispusieron de una hora libre.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form dispusieron, not the yo form dispuse.
Quiz: disponer 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 ______ de poco tiempo libre.” (Of little free time.)
- (a) dispuse
- (b) dispusiste
- (c) dispuso
Answer: dispuse — The yo form of disponer in the preterite is dispuse. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ de dinero para el viaje?” (Of money for the trip.)
- (a) dispuse
- (b) dispuso
- (c) dispusiste
Answer: dispusiste — The tú form of disponer in the preterite is dispusiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ las sillas en el salón.” (The chairs in the living room.)
- (a) dispusiste
- (b) dispuso
- (c) dispuse
Answer: dispuso — The él/ella/Ud. form of disponer in the preterite is dispuso. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ de una hora libre.” (Of an hour free.)
- (a) dispusimos
- (b) dispuse
- (c) dispusiste
Answer: dispusimos — The nosotros/as form of disponer in the preterite is dispusimos. 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 disponer in the preterite?
- (a) dispuse
- (b) dispusiste
- (c) dispusisteis
Answer: dispusisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes dispusisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros dispusisteis de poco tiempo libre.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ de dinero para el viaje.” (Of money for the trip.)
- (a) dispusiste
- (b) dispusieron
- (c) dispuse
Answer: dispusieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of disponer in the preterite is dispusieron. 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 disponer in the preterite?
- (a) dispuse
- (b) dispusiste
- (c) dispuso
Answer: dispuse — The yo form is dispuse. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo disponía de poco tiempo libre cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo dispondré de poco tiempo libre.
- (c) Ayer, yo dispuse de poco tiempo libre.
Answer: Ayer, yo dispuse de poco tiempo libre. — “Ayer, yo dispuse de poco tiempo libre.” 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 disponer regular in the preterite?
No. Disponer has an irregular preterite: dispuse, dispusiste, dispuso, dispusimos, dispusisteis, dispusieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of disponer?
The past participle is dispuesto: 'He dispuesto' means 'I have arranged'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is disponiendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for disponer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo dispuse de poco tiempo libre. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo disponía de poco tiempo libre cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of disponer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo dispuse, tú dispusiste, él/ella/Ud. dispuso, nosotros/as dispusimos, vosotros/as dispusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. dispusieron. Then write three of your own sentences with disponer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of disponer — every tense of disponer in one place.
- Disponer examples and quiz — more sentences with disponer 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 disponer and other verbs.