Intervenir in the Preterite Tense
Intervenir means “to intervene”, and this page covers exactly one thing: intervenir 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 intervenir, 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 intervenir in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” — Yesterday, I intervened in the discussion at the meeting. Everything on this page uses the forms of intervenir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Intervenir in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | intervine |
| tú | interviniste |
| él/ella/Ud. | intervino |
| nosotros/as | intervinimos |
| vosotros/as | intervinisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | intervinieron |
Gerund: interviniendo · Past participle: intervenido
The gerund is interviniendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy interviniendo” means the action of intervenir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is intervenido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he intervenido” 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 intervenir is used.
How the preterite of intervenir is formed
Intervenir 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 intervine, tú interviniste, él/ella/Ud. intervino, nosotros/as intervinimos, vosotros/as intervinisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. intervinieron.
When to use the preterite of intervenir
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use intervenir 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 intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” — Yesterday, I intervened in the discussion at the meeting.
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 intervinimos en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — We intervened in the neighbours' conflict.
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 intervino en la operación del hospital ayer.” — He intervened in the operation at the hospital yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos intervinieron a tiempo en el debate de repente.” — They intervened in time in the debate 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 interviniste en la discusión de la reunión la semana pasada.” — You intervened in the discussion at the meeting 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 intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” — Yesterday, I intervened in the discussion at the meeting.
Imperfect: “Yo intervenía en la discusión de la reunión cada día.” — I used to intervene in the discussion at the meeting 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 intervino en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — Last night, he intervened in the neighbours' conflict.
Imperfect: “Él intervenía en el conflicto de los vecinos todos los días.” — He used to intervene in the neighbours' conflict 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 intervinimos en la operación del hospital ayer.” — We intervened in the operation at the hospital yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros interveníamos en la operación del hospital cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to intervene in the operation at the hospital 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: intervenir 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.
“Intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” — I intervened in the discussion at the meeting.
“Interviniste en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — You intervened in the neighbours' conflict.
“Intervino en la operación del hospital.” — He/she intervened in the operation at the hospital.
“Intervinimos a tiempo en el debate.” — We intervened in time in the debate.
“Intervinisteis en la discusión de la reunión.” — You intervened in the discussion at the meeting.
“Intervinieron en el conflicto de los vecinos.” — They intervened in the neighbours' conflict.
“Intervine en la operación del hospital.” — I intervened in the operation at the hospital.
“Intervino a tiempo en el debate.” — He/she intervened in time in the debate.
Common mistakes with intervenir 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 intervino en la discusión de la reunión.” Right: “Ellos intervinieron en la discusión de la reunión.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form intervinieron. The singular intervino belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo intervení en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Right: “Ayer yo intervine en el conflicto de los vecinos.” Why: Intervenir has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is intervine, not the regular intervení.
Wrong: “Nosotros interviniste en la operación del hospital.” Right: “Nosotros intervinimos en la operación del hospital.” Why: Nosotros needs intervinimos. The tú form interviniste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos intervine a tiempo en el debate.” Right: “Ellos intervinieron a tiempo en el debate.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form intervinieron, not the yo form intervine.
Quiz: intervenir 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 ______ en la discusión de la reunión.” (In the discussion at the meeting.)
- (a) intervine
- (b) interviniste
- (c) intervino
Answer: intervine — The yo form of intervenir in the preterite is intervine. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en el conflicto de los vecinos?” (In the neighbours' conflict.)
- (a) intervine
- (b) intervino
- (c) interviniste
Answer: interviniste — The tú form of intervenir in the preterite is interviniste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en la operación del hospital.” (In the operation at the hospital.)
- (a) interviniste
- (b) intervino
- (c) intervine
Answer: intervino — The él/ella/Ud. form of intervenir in the preterite is intervino. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a tiempo en el debate.” (In time in the debate.)
- (a) intervinimos
- (b) intervine
- (c) interviniste
Answer: intervinimos — The nosotros/as form of intervenir in the preterite is intervinimos. 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 intervenir in the preterite?
- (a) intervine
- (b) interviniste
- (c) intervinisteis
Answer: intervinisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes intervinisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros intervinisteis en la discusión de la reunión.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en el conflicto de los vecinos.” (In the neighbours' conflict.)
- (a) interviniste
- (b) intervinieron
- (c) intervine
Answer: intervinieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of intervenir in the preterite is intervinieron. 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 intervenir in the preterite?
- (a) intervine
- (b) interviniste
- (c) intervino
Answer: intervine — The yo form is intervine. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo intervenía en la discusión de la reunión cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo intervendré en la discusión de la reunión.
- (c) Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.
Answer: Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión. — “Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión.” 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 intervenir regular in the preterite?
No. Intervenir has an irregular preterite: intervine, interviniste, intervino, intervinimos, intervinisteis, intervinieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of intervenir?
The past participle is intervenido: 'He intervenido' means 'I have intervened'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is interviniendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for intervenir?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo intervine en la discusión de la reunión. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo intervenía en la discusión de la reunión cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of intervenir?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo intervine, tú interviniste, él/ella/Ud. intervino, nosotros/as intervinimos, vosotros/as intervinisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. intervinieron. Then write three of your own sentences with intervenir in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of intervenir — every tense of intervenir in one place.
- Intervenir examples and quiz — more sentences with intervenir 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 intervenir and other verbs.