The preterite of olvidar is used to express when you forgot something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I forgot my keys this morning” – “Olvidé mis llaves esta mañana.”

This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense, making it straightforward to conjugate using standard -ar endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Olvidar (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of olvidar expresses specific instances of forgetting.

To forget: Used for specific instances of forgetting, for example Olvidé mis llaves (I forgot my keys), or Se olvidaron de la cita (They forgot about the appointment).

To leave behind: Describes deliberately or accidentally leaving something, for example Olvidé el paraguas en el restaurante (I left the umbrella at the restaurant).

Examples

Examples of Olvidar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Olvidé las llaves en casa. (I forgot the keys at home.)

¿Olvidaste mi cumpleaños? (Did you forget my birthday?)

Ella olvidó la contraseña. (She forgot the password.)

Olvidamos hacer la reserva. (We forgot to make the reservation.)

Los estudiantes olvidaron la tarea. (The students forgot the homework.)

¿Por qué olvidaste llamar? (Why did you forget to call?)

Olvidé apagar el horno. (I forgot to turn off the oven.)

Olvidamos la fecha de la reunión. (We forgot the date of the meeting.)

El profesor olvidó traer los exámenes. (The teacher forgot to bring the exams.)

¿Dónde olvidaste tu teléfono? (Where did you forget your phone?)

Nunca olvidé sus palabras. (I never forgot their words.)

Los actores olvidaron sus líneas. (The actors forgot their lines.)

Olvidé mencionar un detalle importante. (I forgot to mention an important detail.)

Olvidamos comprar el regalo. (We forgot to buy the gift.)

Ella olvidó cerrar la ventana. (She forgot to close the window.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Olvidar (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.