Producir Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The preterite of producir — to produce — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. Producir means to produce and to cause: producir electricidad, producir un efecto. It is a -ducir verb with the c → zc spelling change (produzco) and the irregular preterite produje. It is formal and common in news, business and science. This page gives you the complete preterite table for producir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo produje un informe completo.” — “Yesterday I produced a complete report”.
Preterite conjugation of producir
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for producir. Producir is an irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.
Preterite indicative — producir
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | produje |
| tú | produjiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | produjo |
| nosotros/as | produjimos |
| vosotros/as | produjisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | produjeron |
The gerund of producir is produciendo and the past participle is producido. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.
How the preterite of producir is formed
The preterite of producir does not follow the regular pattern. If producir were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → producí, tú → produciste, él/ella/Ud. → produció, nosotros/as → producimos, vosotros/as → producisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → producieron — but producir breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis and produjeron.
The preterite stem here is produj-, which you cannot get from the infinitive by rule — it has to be learnt as part of the verb. The endings then attach to that stem: produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis and produjeron. This is the same pattern the verb follows in the imperfect subjunctive, which is built on the preterite third-person plural, so learning the preterite pays twice.
A note on spelling: none of the preterite forms of producir carries a written accent, which is one less thing to memorise — but do not add one by habit. Copy the forms from the table above exactly as written.
When to use the preterite of producir
1. Completed actions at a specific time
Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with producir: “Ayer yo produje un informe completo.” — “Yesterday I produced a complete report”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. A sequence of actions
Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with producir: “Ella produjo un efecto inmediato.” — “She produced an immediate effect”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation
Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with producir: “Nosotros produjimos más electricidad que nunca.” — “We produced more electricity than ever”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Sudden changes and achievements
Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with producir: “Ellos produjeron una película el año pasado.” — “They produced a film last year”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Preterite vs imperfect: producir finished, producir in progress
The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.
Preterite tense: “Ayer yo produje ideas nuevas.” — “Yesterday I produced new ideas.”
Imperfect: “De niño, yo producía ideas nuevas.” — “As a child, I used to produce new ideas.”
Preterite tense: “Ella produjo ideas nuevas a las ocho.” — “She produced new ideas at eight.”
Imperfect: “Ella producía ideas nuevas cada día.” — “She used to produce new ideas every day.”
Preterite tense: “Nosotros produjimos ideas nuevas el sábado.” — “We produced new ideas on Saturday.”
Imperfect: “Nosotros producíamos ideas nuevas todos los sábados.” — “We used to produce new ideas every Saturday.”
Example sentences: producir in the preterite
Six sentences using only the preterite of producir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ayer yo produje un informe completo.” — “Yesterday I produced a complete report.”
- “Ella produjo un efecto inmediato.” — “She produced an immediate effect.”
- “Nosotros produjimos más electricidad que nunca.” — “We produced more electricity than ever.”
- “Ellos produjeron una película el año pasado.” — “They produced a film last year.”
- “¿Tú produjiste los documentos a tiempo?” — “Did you produce the documents on time?”
- “La fábrica produjo mil coches en enero.” — “The factory produced a thousand cars in January.”
Common mistakes with producir in the preterite
Mistake 1
Wrong: Yo produco ideas nuevas.
Right: Yo produje ideas nuevas.
Producir changes c to zc: produzco, not produco.
Mistake 2
Wrong: Ayer yo producí un informe.
Right: Ayer yo produje un informe.
The preterite is produje, from the -duje pattern of all -ducir verbs, never producí.
Quiz: producir in the preterite
Eight questions on the preterite of producir. Answers with explanations follow each question.
1. What is the yo form of producir in the preterite?
- A) produje
- B) produjiste
- C) produjo
- D) produjimos
Answer: A — The yo form in the preterite is produje.
2. What is the tú form of producir in the preterite?
- A) produje
- B) produjo
- C) produjimos
- D) produjiste
Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is produjiste.
3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of producir in the preterite?
- A) produjiste
- B) produjimos
- C) produjo
- D) produje
Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is produjo.
4. What is the nosotros/as form of producir in the preterite?
- A) produjo
- B) produjimos
- C) produje
- D) produjiste
Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is produjimos.
5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ un informe completo.” (Yesterday I produced a complete report.)
- A) produje
- B) produjiste
- C) produjo
- D) produjimos
Answer: A — The sentence needs produje.
6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ un efecto inmediato.” (She produced an immediate effect.)
- A) produje
- B) produjiste
- C) produjimos
- D) produjo
Answer: D — The sentence needs produjo.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- A) Yo produco ideas nuevas.
- B) Yo produje ideas nuevas.
Answer: B — Producir changes c to zc: produzco, not produco.
8. Which sentence is correct?
- A) Ayer yo produje un informe.
- B) Ayer yo producí un informe.
Answer: A — The preterite is produje, from the -duje pattern of all -ducir verbs, never producí.
Frequently asked questions
Is producir regular in the preterite?
No. producir is irregular in the preterite: the forms are produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis and produjeron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.
What is the yo form of producir in the preterite?
It is produje. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for producir it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.
When do I use the preterite of producir instead of the present?
Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.
How can I remember the preterite forms of producir?
Say the six forms aloud in order — produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis, produjeron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for producir to see the verb in every tense.
Say it yourself
Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo produzco…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo produje…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo produciré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.
Related pages
- Full conjugation: Producir Conjugation
- Examples and quiz: Producir Examples & Quiz
- Tense guide: Spanish Preterite Tense Guide
- Language hub: Spanish Verbs
- Tool: Preterite Conjugator