Soler Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The preterite tense of soler — "to usually do, to be in the habit of" in English — is the form you need for finished actions in the past, with a clear end. This page gives you the full preterite conjugation table for soler with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Soler means to usually do something, and it always takes an infinitive: suelo leer, sueles llegar tarde. It is normally used in the present and the imperfect; the other tenses are rare, and it has no real imperative in everyday use. To see it in a real sentence: Yo solí leer por la noche — "I used to read at night".
Preterite tense conjugation table: soler
Every person of soler in the preterite tense. The gerund is soliendo and the past participle is solido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | solí |
| tú | soliste |
| él/ella/Ud. | solió |
| nosotros/as | solimos |
| vosotros/as | solisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | solieron |
How the preterite of soler is formed
The preterite of soler is built from the stem sol- plus the preterite endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -í | solí |
| tú | -iste | soliste |
| él/ella/Ud. | -ió | solió |
| nosotros/as | -imos | solimos |
| vosotros/as | -isteis | solisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -ieron | solieron |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: suelo, sueles, suele and suelen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: solemos, soléis. Soler is normally used in the present and the imperfect, and it always takes an infinitive. The preterite forms in the table above are real, but they are rare — they describe a habit that belonged to a finished period of the past.
The gerund of soler is soliendo and the past participle is solido. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the preterite tense of soler
The preterite tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and soler appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
A habit in a finished past period
The preterite of soler is uncommon: soler normally lives in the present and the imperfect. The preterite appears when a habit belonged to a finished period of the past.
"Aquel año, yo solí leer por la noche" — "That year, I used to read at night"
With a specific past marker
Use the preterite with a finished time marker such as ayer, la semana pasada or aquel año.
"Ayer, él solió desayunar a las ocho" — "Yesterday, he used to have breakfast at eight"
A habit that has now stopped
The preterite suits a habit that held for a while and then stopped.
"Antes, nosotros solimos llegar tarde los lunes" — "Before, we used to arrive late on Mondays"
In a narrative sequence
In a story, the preterite of soler places a past habit on the timeline of finished events.
"Entonces, yo solí caminar al trabajo" — "Then, I used to walk to work"
Rare in everyday speech
In conversation, prefer the imperfect — solía — for past habits. The preterite of soler is a form you will meet in writing more than in speech.
"Aquel verano, ellos solieron ver la televisión después de cenar" — "That summer, they used to watch television after dinner"
The preterite tense vs the closest tenses
Preterite — one finished action vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The preterite reports one finished action in the past. The imperfect describes a repeated habit or an ongoing background in the past. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it happened once, on a specific day, use the preterite.
- Preterite — one finished action: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo solí leer por la noche — "I used to read at night"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {'pre_es': 'Antes, ', 'pre_en': 'Before, '}yo solía leer por la noche — "I used to read at night"
Preterite — finished vs Present perfect — just happened
The preterite places the action firmly in the finished past. The present perfect connects it to the present — something that has just happened, or that matters now. Hoy and esta semana often go with the present perfect.
- Preterite — finished: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}él solió desayunar a las ocho — "He used to have breakfast at eight"
- Present perfect — just happened: {'pre_es': 'Hoy, ', 'pre_en': 'Today, '}él ha solido desayunar a las ocho — "He has usually have breakfast at eight"
Preterite — then vs Present — now
The preterite talks about then, the present talks about now. The same verb, the same complement — only the tense moves the action in time.
- Preterite — then: {'pre_es': 'El año pasado, ', 'pre_en': 'Last year, '}ellos solieron llegar tarde los lunes — "They used to arrive late on Mondays"
- Present — now: {'pre_es': 'Ahora, ', 'pre_en': 'Now, '}ellos suelen llegar tarde los lunes — "They usually arrive late on Mondays"
Examples: soler in the preterite tense
Seven sentences that show soler in the preterite tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo solí leer por la noche — "I used to read at night"
- Tú soliste desayunar a las ocho — "You used to have breakfast at eight"
- Él solió llegar tarde los lunes — "He used to arrive late on Mondays"
- Nosotros solimos caminar al trabajo — "We used to walk to work"
- Vosotros solisteis ver la televisión después de cenar — "You used to watch television after dinner"
- Ellos solieron leer por la noche — "They used to read at night"
- Yo solí desayunar a las ocho — "I used to have breakfast at eight"
Common mistakes with soler in the preterite tense
These are the errors learners actually make with soler in the preterite tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Ayer, yo soli leer por la noche.
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo solí leer por la noche.
The preterite yo form carries a written accent: solí, not soli.
✗ *Tú solió desayunar a las ocho.
✓ Correct: Tú soliste desayunar a las ocho.
The tú preterite ends in -ste and the él preterite in -ó/-ió: tú soliste, él solió.
✗ *Ayer, yo solía llegar tarde los lunes
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo solí llegar tarde los lunes
Ayer points to one finished action, so it needs the preterite, not the imperfect.
✗ *Yo suelo a leer por la noche.
✓ Correct: Yo suelo leer por la noche.
Soler takes the infinitive directly, with no preposition: suelo leer, not suelo a leer.
Quiz: soler in the preterite tense
Eight questions on the preterite tense of soler. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct preterite form of soler for tú? A. soliste B. solí C. solió D. solimos
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ leer por la noche — "I used to read at night" (preterite) A. solimos B. solí C. soliste D. solió
Complete the sentence: Él ______ desayunar a las ocho — "He used to have breakfast at eight" (preterite) A. solí B. soliste C. solimos D. solió
Which is the correct preterite form of soler for nosotros? A. soliste B. solió C. solieron D. solimos
Which sentence uses soler correctly in the preterite? A. Mi amigo solimos llegar tarde los lunes B. Mi amigo solió llegar tarde los lunes C. Mi amigo soliste llegar tarde los lunes D. Mi amigo suele llegar tarde los lunes
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ caminar al trabajo — "You used to walk to work" (preterite) A. solisteis B. solí C. soliste D. solió
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ ver la televisión después de cenar — "They used to watch television after dinner" (preterite) A. solió B. solieron C. solí D. soliste
What is the past participle of soler? A. solí B. solido C. soliendo D. suelo
Answer key
- soliste — The tú form in the preterite is soliste.
- solí — The preterite form for yo is solí.
- solió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is solió.
- solimos — The nosotros form in the preterite is solimos.
- Mi amigo solió llegar tarde los lunes — Mi amigo solió llegar tarde los lunes is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the preterite.
- solisteis — The preterite form for vosotros/as is solisteis.
- solieron — The preterite form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is solieron.
- solido — The past participle is solido. It is the form you use with haber for the perfect tenses, and it is not the gerund soliendo.
Frequently asked questions
Is soler regular in the preterite tense?
Yes — in the preterite tense soler follows the regular endings for -er verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of soler?
The gerund is soliendo and the past participle is solido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I usually do" in the preterite tense?
Say solí. For example: Yo solí leer por la noche — "I used to read at night".
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of soler?
The preterite reports one finished action: Ayer, yo solí leer por la noche — "Yesterday, I used to read at night". The imperfect describes a repeated habit or background: Antes, yo solía leer por la noche — "Before, I used to read at night". If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice.
Related links
- Full conjugation of soler — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- soler examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Preterite tense guide — how the preterite tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.