Sustraer in the Preterite Tense
Sustraer means “to subtract, to steal”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sustraer 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 sustraer, 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 sustraer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” — Yesterday, I subtracted five from twenty in the exam. Everything on this page uses the forms of sustraer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Sustraer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sustraje |
| tú | sustrajiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | sustrajo |
| nosotros/as | sustrajimos |
| vosotros/as | sustrajisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sustrajeron |
Gerund: sustrayendo · Past participle: sustraído
The gerund is sustrayendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy sustrayendo” means the action of sustraer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is sustraído, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he sustraído” 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 sustraer is used.
How the preterite of sustraer is formed
Sustraer is regular in the preterite tense. Take the stem sustra and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -je, -jiste, -jo, -jimos, -jisteis, -jeron, giving sustraje, sustrajiste, sustrajo, sustrajimos, sustrajisteis, sustrajeron. Watch the accents: the yo form is sustraje and the él/ella/Ud. form is sustrajo.
The irregularity of sustraer is in its past participle, sustraído, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he sustraído, has sustraído, ha sustraído.
When to use the preterite of sustraer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sustraer 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 sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” — Yesterday, I subtracted five from twenty in the exam.
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 sustrajimos dinero de la caja.” — We subtracted money from the till.
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 sustrajo un libro de la biblioteca ayer.” — He subtracted a book from the library yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos sustrajeron tres del total de repente.” — They subtracted three from the total 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 sustrajiste cinco de veinte en el examen la semana pasada.” — You subtracted five from twenty in the exam 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 sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” — Yesterday, I subtracted five from twenty in the exam.
Imperfect: “Yo sustraía cinco de veinte en el examen cada día.” — I used to subtract five from twenty in the exam 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 sustrajo dinero de la caja.” — Last night, he subtracted money from the till.
Imperfect: “Él sustraía dinero de la caja todos los días.” — He used to subtract money from the till 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 sustrajimos un libro de la biblioteca ayer.” — We subtracted a book from the library yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros sustraíamos un libro de la biblioteca cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to subtract a book from the library 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: sustraer 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.
“Sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” — I subtracted five from twenty in the exam.
“Sustrajiste dinero de la caja.” — You subtracted money from the till.
“Sustrajo un libro de la biblioteca.” — He/she subtracted a book from the library.
“Sustrajimos tres del total.” — We subtracted three from the total.
“Sustrajisteis cinco de veinte en el examen.” — You subtracted five from twenty in the exam.
“Sustrajeron dinero de la caja.” — They subtracted money from the till.
“Sustraje un libro de la biblioteca.” — I subtracted a book from the library.
“Sustrajo tres del total.” — He/she subtracted three from the total.
Common mistakes with sustraer 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 sustrajo cinco de veinte en el examen.” Right: “Ellos sustrajeron cinco de veinte en el examen.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form sustrajeron. The singular sustrajo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo sustraí dinero de la caja.” Right: “Ayer yo sustraje dinero de la caja.” Why: Sustraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is sustraje, not the regular sustraí.
Wrong: “Nosotros sustrajiste un libro de la biblioteca.” Right: “Nosotros sustrajimos un libro de la biblioteca.” Why: Nosotros needs sustrajimos. The tú form sustrajiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos sustraje tres del total.” Right: “Ellos sustrajeron tres del total.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form sustrajeron, not the yo form sustraje.
Quiz: sustraer 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 ______ cinco de veinte en el examen.” (Five from twenty in the exam.)
- (a) sustraje
- (b) sustrajiste
- (c) sustrajo
Answer: sustraje — The yo form of sustraer in the preterite is sustraje. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ dinero de la caja?” (Money from the till.)
- (a) sustraje
- (b) sustrajo
- (c) sustrajiste
Answer: sustrajiste — The tú form of sustraer in the preterite is sustrajiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ un libro de la biblioteca.” (A book from the library.)
- (a) sustrajiste
- (b) sustrajo
- (c) sustraje
Answer: sustrajo — The él/ella/Ud. form of sustraer in the preterite is sustrajo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ tres del total.” (Three from the total.)
- (a) sustrajimos
- (b) sustraje
- (c) sustrajiste
Answer: sustrajimos — The nosotros/as form of sustraer in the preterite is sustrajimos. 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 sustraer in the preterite?
- (a) sustraje
- (b) sustrajiste
- (c) sustrajisteis
Answer: sustrajisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes sustrajisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros sustrajisteis cinco de veinte en el examen.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ dinero de la caja.” (Money from the till.)
- (a) sustrajiste
- (b) sustrajeron
- (c) sustraje
Answer: sustrajeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of sustraer in the preterite is sustrajeron. 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 sustraer in the preterite?
- (a) sustraje
- (b) sustrajiste
- (c) sustrajo
Answer: sustraje — The yo form is sustraje. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo sustraía cinco de veinte en el examen cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo sustraeré cinco de veinte en el examen.
- (c) Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.
Answer: Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen. — “Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen.” 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 sustraer regular in the preterite?
No. Sustraer has an irregular preterite: sustraje, sustrajiste, sustrajo, sustrajimos, sustrajisteis, sustrajeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of sustraer?
The past participle is sustraído: 'He sustraído' means 'I have subtracted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is sustrayendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for sustraer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo sustraje cinco de veinte en el examen. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo sustraía cinco de veinte en el examen cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of sustraer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo sustraje, tú sustrajiste, él/ella/Ud. sustrajo, nosotros/as sustrajimos, vosotros/as sustrajisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. sustrajeron. Then write three of your own sentences with sustraer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sustraer — every tense of sustraer in one place.
- Sustraer examples and quiz — more sentences with sustraer 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 sustraer and other verbs.