Sostener in the Preterite Tense
Sostener means “to hold, to sustain”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sostener 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 sostener, 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 sostener in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo sostuve al bebé con cuidado.” — Yesterday, I held the baby carefully. Everything on this page uses the forms of sostener exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Sostener in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sostuve |
| tú | sostuviste |
| él/ella/Ud. | sostuvo |
| nosotros/as | sostuvimos |
| vosotros/as | sostuvisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sostuvieron |
Gerund: sosteniendo · Past participle: sostenido
The gerund is sosteniendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sosteniendo” means the action of sostener is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sostenido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sostenido” 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 sostener is used.
How the preterite of sostener is formed
Sostener 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 tener, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -uv- 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 sostuve, tú sostuviste, él/ella/Ud. sostuvo, nosotros/as sostuvimos, vosotros/as sostuvisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. sostuvieron.
When to use the preterite of sostener
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sostener 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 sostuve al bebé con cuidado.” — Yesterday, I held the baby carefully.
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 sostuvimos la escalera mientras sube.” — We held the ladder while he climbs.
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 sostuvo una opinión con argumentos ayer.” — He held an opinion with arguments yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos sostuvieron el peso con las dos manos de repente.” — They held the weight with both hands 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 sostuviste al bebé con cuidado la semana pasada.” — You held the baby carefully 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 sostuve al bebé con cuidado.” — Yesterday, I held the baby carefully.
Imperfect: “Yo sostenía al bebé con cuidado cada día.” — I used to hold the baby carefully 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 sostuvo la escalera mientras sube.” — Last night, he held the ladder while he climbs.
Imperfect: “Él sostenía la escalera mientras sube todos los días.” — He used to hold the ladder while he climbs 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 sostuvimos una opinión con argumentos ayer.” — We held an opinion with arguments yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros sosteníamos una opinión con argumentos cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to hold an opinion with arguments 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: sostener 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.
“Sostuve al bebé con cuidado.” — I held the baby carefully.
“Sostuviste la escalera mientras sube.” — You held the ladder while he climbs.
“Sostuvo una opinión con argumentos.” — He/she held an opinion with arguments.
“Sostuvimos el peso con las dos manos.” — We held the weight with both hands.
“Sostuvisteis al bebé con cuidado.” — You held the baby carefully.
“Sostuvieron la escalera mientras sube.” — They held the ladder while he climbs.
“Sostuve una opinión con argumentos.” — I held an opinion with arguments.
“Sostuvo el peso con las dos manos.” — He/she held the weight with both hands.
Common mistakes with sostener 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 sostuvo al bebé con cuidado.” Right: “Ellos sostuvieron al bebé con cuidado.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sostuvieron. The singular sostuvo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sostení la escalera mientras sube.” Right: “Ayer yo sostuve la escalera mientras sube.” Why: Sostener has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is sostuve, not the regular sostení.
Wrong: “Nosotros sostuviste una opinión con argumentos.” Right: “Nosotros sostuvimos una opinión con argumentos.” Why: Nosotros needs sostuvimos. The tú form sostuviste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos sostuve el peso con las dos manos.” Right: “Ellos sostuvieron el peso con las dos manos.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form sostuvieron, not the yo form sostuve.
Quiz: sostener 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 ______ al bebé con cuidado.” (The baby carefully.)
- (a) sostuve
- (b) sostuviste
- (c) sostuvo
Answer: sostuve — The yo form of sostener in the preterite is sostuve. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la escalera mientras sube?” (The ladder while he climbs.)
- (a) sostuve
- (b) sostuvo
- (c) sostuviste
Answer: sostuviste — The tú form of sostener in the preterite is sostuviste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ una opinión con argumentos.” (An opinion with arguments.)
- (a) sostuviste
- (b) sostuvo
- (c) sostuve
Answer: sostuvo — The él/ella/Ud. form of sostener in the preterite is sostuvo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el peso con las dos manos.” (The weight with both hands.)
- (a) sostuvimos
- (b) sostuve
- (c) sostuviste
Answer: sostuvimos — The nosotros/as form of sostener in the preterite is sostuvimos. 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 sostener in the preterite?
- (a) sostuve
- (b) sostuviste
- (c) sostuvisteis
Answer: sostuvisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes sostuvisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros sostuvisteis al bebé con cuidado.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la escalera mientras sube.” (The ladder while he climbs.)
- (a) sostuviste
- (b) sostuvieron
- (c) sostuve
Answer: sostuvieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sostener in the preterite is sostuvieron. 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 sostener in the preterite?
- (a) sostuve
- (b) sostuviste
- (c) sostuvo
Answer: sostuve — The yo form is sostuve. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo sostenía al bebé con cuidado cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo sostendré al bebé con cuidado.
- (c) Ayer, yo sostuve al bebé con cuidado.
Answer: Ayer, yo sostuve al bebé con cuidado. — “Ayer, yo sostuve al bebé con cuidado.” 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 sostener regular in the preterite?
No. Sostener has an irregular preterite: sostuve, sostuviste, sostuvo, sostuvimos, sostuvisteis, sostuvieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of sostener?
The past participle is sostenido: 'He sostenido' means 'I have held'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is sosteniendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for sostener?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo sostuve al bebé con cuidado. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo sostenía al bebé con cuidado cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of sostener?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo sostuve, tú sostuviste, él/ella/Ud. sostuvo, nosotros/as sostuvimos, vosotros/as sostuvisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. sostuvieron. Then write three of your own sentences with sostener in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sostener — every tense of sostener in one place.
- Sostener examples and quiz — more sentences with sostener 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 sostener and other verbs.