Traducir in the Preterite Tense
Traducir means “to translate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: traducir 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 traducir, 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 traducir in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo traduje el libro del inglés al español.” — Yesterday, I translated the book from English into Spanish. Everything on this page uses the forms of traducir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Traducir in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traduje |
| tú | tradujiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | tradujo |
| nosotros/as | tradujimos |
| vosotros/as | tradujisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tradujeron |
Gerund: traduciendo · Past participle: traducido
The gerund is traduciendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy traduciendo” means the action of traducir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is traducido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he traducido” 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 traducir is used.
How the preterite of traducir is formed
Traducir 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 the -ducir verbs, with a -zc- in the present (as in traduzco) and a -j- stem in the preterite (as in traduje). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Learn the six forms as a set: yo traduje, tú tradujiste, él/ella/Ud. tradujo, nosotros/as tradujimos, vosotros/as tradujisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. tradujeron.
When to use the preterite of traducir
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use traducir 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 traduje el libro del inglés al español.” — Yesterday, I translated the book from English into Spanish.
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 tradujimos el documento para el trabajo.” — We translated the document for work.
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 tradujo la carta de su abuela ayer.” — He translated his grandmother's letter yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos tradujeron las instrucciones del manual de repente.” — They translated the instructions in the manual 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 tradujiste el libro del inglés al español la semana pasada.” — You translated the book from English into Spanish 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 traduje el libro del inglés al español.” — Yesterday, I translated the book from English into Spanish.
Imperfect: “Yo traducía el libro del inglés al español cada día.” — I used to translate the book from English into Spanish 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 tradujo el documento para el trabajo.” — Last night, he translated the document for work.
Imperfect: “Él traducía el documento para el trabajo todos los días.” — He used to translate the document for work 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 tradujimos la carta de su abuela ayer.” — We translated his grandmother's letter yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros traducíamos la carta de su abuela cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to translate his grandmother's letter 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: traducir 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.
“Traduje el libro del inglés al español.” — I translated the book from English into Spanish.
“Tradujiste el documento para el trabajo.” — You translated the document for work.
“Tradujo la carta de su abuela.” — He/she translated his grandmother's letter.
“Tradujimos las instrucciones del manual.” — We translated the instructions in the manual.
“Tradujisteis el libro del inglés al español.” — You translated the book from English into Spanish.
“Tradujeron el documento para el trabajo.” — They translated the document for work.
“Traduje la carta de su abuela.” — I translated his grandmother's letter.
“Tradujo las instrucciones del manual.” — He/she translated the instructions in the manual.
Common mistakes with traducir 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 tradujo el libro del inglés al español.” Right: “Ellos tradujeron el libro del inglés al español.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form tradujeron. The singular tradujo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo traducí el documento para el trabajo.” Right: “Ayer yo traduje el documento para el trabajo.” Why: Traducir has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is traduje, not the regular traducí.
Wrong: “Nosotros tradujiste la carta de su abuela.” Right: “Nosotros tradujimos la carta de su abuela.” Why: Nosotros needs tradujimos. The tú form tradujiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos traduje las instrucciones del manual.” Right: “Ellos tradujeron las instrucciones del manual.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form tradujeron, not the yo form traduje.
Quiz: traducir 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 ______ el libro del inglés al español.” (The book from english into spanish.)
- (a) traduje
- (b) tradujiste
- (c) tradujo
Answer: traduje — The yo form of traducir in the preterite is traduje. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el documento para el trabajo?” (The document for work.)
- (a) traduje
- (b) tradujo
- (c) tradujiste
Answer: tradujiste — The tú form of traducir in the preterite is tradujiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la carta de su abuela.” (His grandmother's letter.)
- (a) tradujiste
- (b) tradujo
- (c) traduje
Answer: tradujo — The él/ella/Ud. form of traducir in the preterite is tradujo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ las instrucciones del manual.” (The instructions in the manual.)
- (a) tradujimos
- (b) traduje
- (c) tradujiste
Answer: tradujimos — The nosotros/as form of traducir in the preterite is tradujimos. 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 traducir in the preterite?
- (a) traduje
- (b) tradujiste
- (c) tradujisteis
Answer: tradujisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes tradujisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros tradujisteis el libro del inglés al español.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el documento para el trabajo.” (The document for work.)
- (a) tradujiste
- (b) tradujeron
- (c) traduje
Answer: tradujeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of traducir in the preterite is tradujeron. 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 traducir in the preterite?
- (a) traduje
- (b) tradujiste
- (c) tradujo
Answer: traduje — The yo form is traduje. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo traducía el libro del inglés al español cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo traduciré el libro del inglés al español.
- (c) Ayer, yo traduje el libro del inglés al español.
Answer: Ayer, yo traduje el libro del inglés al español. — “Ayer, yo traduje el libro del inglés al español.” 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 traducir regular in the preterite?
No. Traducir has an irregular preterite: traduje, tradujiste, tradujo, tradujimos, tradujisteis, tradujeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of traducir?
The past participle is traducido: 'He traducido' means 'I have translated'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is traduciendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for traducir?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo traduje el libro del inglés al español. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo traducía el libro del inglés al español cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of traducir?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo traduje, tú tradujiste, él/ella/Ud. tradujo, nosotros/as tradujimos, vosotros/as tradujisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. tradujeron. Then write three of your own sentences with traducir in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of traducir — every tense of traducir in one place.
- Traducir examples and quiz — more sentences with traducir 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 traducir and other verbs.