Reponer in the Preterite Tense
Reponer means “to replace, to restock”, and this page covers exactly one thing: reponer 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 reponer, 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 reponer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo repuse las piezas rotas del coche.” — Yesterday, I replaced the broken car parts. Everything on this page uses the forms of reponer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Reponer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | repuse |
| tú | repusiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | repuso |
| nosotros/as | repusimos |
| vosotros/as | repusisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | repusieron |
Gerund: reponiendo · Past participle: repuesto
The gerund is reponiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy reponiendo” means the action of reponer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is repuesto, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he repuesto” 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 reponer is used.
How the preterite of reponer is formed
Reponer 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 repuse, tú repusiste, él/ella/Ud. repuso, nosotros/as repusimos, vosotros/as repusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. repusieron.
The irregularity of reponer is in its past participle, repuesto, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he repuesto, has repuesto, ha repuesto.
When to use the preterite of reponer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use reponer 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 repuse las piezas rotas del coche.” — Yesterday, I replaced the broken car parts.
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 repusimos los productos en la tienda.” — We replaced the products in the shop.
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 repuso el dinero de la caja ayer.” — He replaced the money in the till yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos repusieron el stock antes del lunes de repente.” — They replaced the stock before Monday 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 repusiste las piezas rotas del coche la semana pasada.” — You replaced the broken car parts 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 repuse las piezas rotas del coche.” — Yesterday, I replaced the broken car parts.
Imperfect: “Yo reponía las piezas rotas del coche cada día.” — I used to replace the broken car parts 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 repuso los productos en la tienda.” — Last night, he replaced the products in the shop.
Imperfect: “Él reponía los productos en la tienda todos los días.” — He used to replace the products in the shop 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 repusimos el dinero de la caja ayer.” — We replaced the money in the till yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros reponíamos el dinero de la caja cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to replace the money in the till 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: reponer 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.
“Repuse las piezas rotas del coche.” — I replaced the broken car parts.
“Repusiste los productos en la tienda.” — You replaced the products in the shop.
“Repuso el dinero de la caja.” — He/she replaced the money in the till.
“Repusimos el stock antes del lunes.” — We replaced the stock before Monday.
“Repusisteis las piezas rotas del coche.” — You replaced the broken car parts.
“Repusieron los productos en la tienda.” — They replaced the products in the shop.
“Repuse el dinero de la caja.” — I replaced the money in the till.
“Repuso el stock antes del lunes.” — He/she replaced the stock before Monday.
Common mistakes with reponer 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 repuso las piezas rotas del coche.” Right: “Ellos repusieron las piezas rotas del coche.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form repusieron. The singular repuso belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo reponí los productos en la tienda.” Right: “Ayer yo repuse los productos en la tienda.” Why: Reponer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is repuse, not the regular reponí.
Wrong: “Nosotros repusiste el dinero de la caja.” Right: “Nosotros repusimos el dinero de la caja.” Why: Nosotros needs repusimos. The tú form repusiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos repuse el stock antes del lunes.” Right: “Ellos repusieron el stock antes del lunes.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form repusieron, not the yo form repuse.
Quiz: reponer 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 ______ las piezas rotas del coche.” (The broken car parts.)
- (a) repuse
- (b) repusiste
- (c) repuso
Answer: repuse — The yo form of reponer in the preterite is repuse. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ los productos en la tienda?” (The products in the shop.)
- (a) repuse
- (b) repuso
- (c) repusiste
Answer: repusiste — The tú form of reponer in the preterite is repusiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el dinero de la caja.” (The money in the till.)
- (a) repusiste
- (b) repuso
- (c) repuse
Answer: repuso — The él/ella/Ud. form of reponer in the preterite is repuso. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el stock antes del lunes.” (The stock before monday.)
- (a) repusimos
- (b) repuse
- (c) repusiste
Answer: repusimos — The nosotros/as form of reponer in the preterite is repusimos. 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 reponer in the preterite?
- (a) repuse
- (b) repusiste
- (c) repusisteis
Answer: repusisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes repusisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros repusisteis las piezas rotas del coche.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ los productos en la tienda.” (The products in the shop.)
- (a) repusiste
- (b) repusieron
- (c) repuse
Answer: repusieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of reponer in the preterite is repusieron. 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 reponer in the preterite?
- (a) repuse
- (b) repusiste
- (c) repuso
Answer: repuse — The yo form is repuse. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo reponía las piezas rotas del coche cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo repondré las piezas rotas del coche.
- (c) Ayer, yo repuse las piezas rotas del coche.
Answer: Ayer, yo repuse las piezas rotas del coche. — “Ayer, yo repuse las piezas rotas del coche.” 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 reponer regular in the preterite?
No. Reponer has an irregular preterite: repuse, repusiste, repuso, repusimos, repusisteis, repusieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of reponer?
The past participle is repuesto: 'He repuesto' means 'I have replaced'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is reponiendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for reponer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo repuse las piezas rotas del coche. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo reponía las piezas rotas del coche cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of reponer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo repuse, tú repusiste, él/ella/Ud. repuso, nosotros/as repusimos, vosotros/as repusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. repusieron. Then write three of your own sentences with reponer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of reponer — every tense of reponer in one place.
- Reponer examples and quiz — more sentences with reponer 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 reponer and other verbs.