Soler Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb soler means to usually do, to be in the habit of, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, soler changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo suelo leer por la noche — "I usually read at night". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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 other tenses exist in the tables below, but they are rare in everyday speech.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: soler
  • English: to usually do, to be in the habit of
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: soliendo
  • Past participle: solido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + solido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for soler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for soler. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | suelo | | tú | sueles | | él/ella/Ud. | suele | | nosotros/as | solemos | | vosotros/as | soléis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | suelen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | solí | | tú | soliste | | él/ella/Ud. | solió | | nosotros/as | solimos | | vosotros/as | solisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | solieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | solía | | tú | solías | | él/ella/Ud. | solía | | nosotros/as | solíamos | | vosotros/as | solíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | solían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | soleré | | tú | solerás | | él/ella/Ud. | solerá | | nosotros/as | soleremos | | vosotros/as | soleréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | solerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | solería | | tú | solerías | | él/ella/Ud. | solería | | nosotros/as | soleríamos | | vosotros/as | soleríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | solerían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he solido | | tú | has solido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha solido | | nosotros/as | hemos solido | | vosotros/as | habéis solido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han solido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había solido | | tú | habías solido | | él/ella/Ud. | había solido | | nosotros/as | habíamos solido | | vosotros/as | habíais solido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían solido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré solido | | tú | habrás solido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá solido | | nosotros/as | habremos solido | | vosotros/as | habréis solido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán solido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría solido | | tú | habrías solido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría solido | | nosotros/as | habríamos solido | | vosotros/as | habríais solido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían solido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | suela | | tú | suelas | | él/ella/Ud. | suela | | nosotros/as | solamos | | vosotros/as | soláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | suelan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | soliera | | tú | solieras | | él/ella/Ud. | soliera | | nosotros/as | soliéramos | | vosotros/as | solierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | solieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | suele | | él/ella/Ud. | suela | | nosotros/as | solamos | | vosotros/as | soled | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | suelan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | suelas | | él/ella/Ud. | suela | | nosotros/as | solamos | | vosotros/as | soláis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | suelan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund soliendo with estar for the progressive: está soliendo
Past participle solido with haber for the perfect tenses: he solido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For soler, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo suelo leer por la noche — "I usually read at night".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo solí desayunar a las ocho — "Yesterday, I used to have breakfast at eight".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo solía llegar tarde los lunes — "As a child, I used to arrive late on Mondays".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo soleré caminar al trabajo — "Tomorrow, I will usually walk to work".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo solería leer por la noche si pudiera — "I would usually read at night if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he solido desayunar a las ocho — "Today, I have usually have breakfast at eight".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había solido llegar tarde los lunes antes de salir — "I already had usually arrive late on Mondays before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré solido caminar al trabajo — "By tomorrow, I will have usually walk to work".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría solido leer por la noche con más tiempo — "I would have usually read at night with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For soler, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él suela desayunar a las ocho — "I hope he usually have breakfast at eight".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For soler, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo soliera llegar tarde los lunes, todo cambiaría — "If I usually arrive late on Mondays, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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 has no real imperative in everyday use — you cannot order someone to usually do something. The forms in the table come from the conjugation engine, but Spanish speakers do not use them.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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 has no real imperative in everyday use — you cannot order someone to usually do something. The forms in the table come from the conjugation engine, but Spanish speakers do not use them.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with soler, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo suelo leer por la noche — "I usually read at night"
  2. Mi amigo suele desayunar a las ocho — "My friend usually have breakfast at eight"
  3. Ayer, yo solí llegar tarde los lunes — "Yesterday, I used to arrive late on Mondays"
  4. Antes, nosotros solíamos caminar al trabajo — "Before, we used to walk to work"
  5. Mañana, tú solerás ver la televisión después de cenar — "Tomorrow, you will usually watch television after dinner"
  6. Yo solería leer por la noche si tuviera más tiempo — "I would usually read at night if I had more time"
  7. Él ha solido desayunar a las ocho — "He has usually have breakfast at eight"
  8. Espero que él suela llegar tarde los lunes — "I hope he usually arrive late on Mondays"
  9. Yo ya había solido caminar al trabajo antes de salir — "I already had usually walk to work before leaving"
  10. Ellos solían ver la televisión después de cenar cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to watch television after dinner when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo solo desayunar a las ocho. — Right: Yo suelo desayunar a las ocho. — soler is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is suelo, not solo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él suele desayunar a las ocho — Right: Espero que él suela desayunar a las ocho — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él suela desayunar a las ocho — not the indicative Espero que él suele desayunar a las ocho.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo suelo llegar tarde los lunes — Right: Ayer, yo solí llegar tarde los lunes — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo solí llegar tarde los lunes.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo solí caminar al trabajo todos los días — Right: De niño, yo solía caminar al trabajo todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo solía caminar al trabajo todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo suelo a leer por la noche. — Right: Yo suelo leer por la noche. — Soler takes the infinitive directly, with no preposition: suelo leer, not suelo a leer.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on soler. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ leer por la noche — "I usually read at night" (present) A. solemos B. suelo C. sueles D. suele

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ desayunar a las ocho — "He used to have breakfast at eight" (preterite) A. solí B. soliste C. solimos D. solió

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ llegar tarde los lunes — "We used to arrive late on Mondays" (imperfect) A. solía B. solías C. solíais D. solíamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ caminar al trabajo — "You will usually walk to work" (future) A. soleré B. solerá C. soleremos D. solerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ ver la televisión después de cenar — "I would usually watch television after dinner" (conditional) A. solerías B. soleríamos C. soleríais D. solería

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ leer por la noche — "I hope he usually read at night" (present subjunctive) A. suela B. suelas C. solamos D. soláis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ desayunar a las ocho, todo cambiaría — "If I usually have breakfast at eight, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. soliera B. solieras C. soliéramos D. solierais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ llegar tarde los lunes — "We have usually arrive late on Mondays" (present perfect) A. ha solido B. hemos solido C. he solido D. has solido

  9. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ caminar al trabajo — "I will have usually walk to work" (future perfect) A. habré solido B. habrás solido C. habrá solido D. habremos solido

  10. Which is the gerund of soler, used with estar for the progressive? A. solí B. soliendo C. solido D. suelo

Answer key

  1. suelo — The present form for yo is suelo.
  2. solió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is solió.
  3. solíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is solíamos.
  4. solerás — The future form for tú is solerás.
  5. solería — The conditional form for yo is solería.
  6. suela — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is suela.
  7. soliera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is soliera.
  8. hemos solido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos solido.
  9. habré solido — The future perfect form for yo is habré solido.
  10. soliendo — The gerund of soler is soliendo: estoy soliendo. The participle solido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does soler mean in English?

soler means to usually do, to be in the habit of. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo suelo leer por la noche — "I usually read at night". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is soler regular?

No. soler is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). 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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

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 I say "I usually do" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo solí desayunar a las ocho — "Yesterday, I used to have breakfast at eight". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo solía llegar tarde los lunes — "As a child, I used to arrive late on Mondays". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he solido desayunar a las ocho — "Today, I have usually have breakfast at eight".

What is the difference between soler and acostumbrar?

Acostumbrar also expresses habit, often with a to a new routine. Soler is the simpler verb for what someone usually does. 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.

When do I use soler?

Use soler for what someone usually does: suelo leer por la noche, solemos desayunar a las ocho. It always takes an infinitive, and it is normally used in the present and the imperfect.

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