The preterite of cambiar is used to express when something changed at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “The weather changed suddenly” – “El tiempo cambió de repente.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense, making it straightforward to conjugate with no spelling changes or stem changes required.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | cambié |
| Tú | cambiaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | cambió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | cambiamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | cambiasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | cambiaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Cambiar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of cambiar indicates completed changes or transformations.
To change/alter: Describes a specific change that occurred, for example Cambié de trabajo el mes pasado (I changed jobs last month), or Cambiaron la fecha de la reunión (They changed the meeting date).
To exchange: Refers to switching or trading items, for example Cambié dólares por euros (I exchanged dollars for euros).
Examples
Examples of Cambiar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Cambié de trabajo el mes pasado. (I changed jobs last month.)
El tiempo cambió repentinamente. (The weather changed suddenly.)
¿Por qué cambiaste de opinión? (Why did you change your mind?)
Cambiamos los muebles de lugar. (We changed the furniture’s position.)
Los precios cambiaron drásticamente. (The prices changed drastically.)
Cambió su estilo de vida por completo. (He/she changed their lifestyle completely.)
Cambiaste mucho desde la última vez. (You changed a lot since last time.)
La empresa cambió su política de ventas. (The company changed its sales policy.)
Cambiamos la fecha de la reunión. (We changed the meeting date.)
Los estudiantes cambiaron de aula. (The students changed classrooms.)
Cambié el aceite del coche. (I changed the car’s oil.)
La tecnología cambió nuestras vidas. (Technology changed our lives.)
Cambiaron los planes a último momento. (They changed the plans at the last moment.)
Cambié de dirección el año pasado. (I changed addresses last year.)
Todo cambió después de ese día. (Everything changed after that day.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo cambié | I changed |
| Tú cambiaste | You changed |
| Él / Ella / Usted cambió | He / She / You (formal) changed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras cambiamos | We changed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras cambiasteis | You all changed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes cambiaron | They / You all (formal) changed |
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.