The preterite of olvidarse is used to express a specific instance of forgetting something in the past, for example Me olvidé de las llaves esta mañana (I forgot the keys this morning). This reflexive verb emphasizes the completed action of forgetting at a particular moment.

This is a regular -ar verb used reflexively, meaning you need to include the appropriate reflexive pronoun with each conjugation. The verb itself follows the standard preterite pattern for -ar verbs.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of olvidarse expresses a completed action of forgetting something in the past.

To forget about: Describes completely forgetting something, for example Me olvidé de las llaves (I forgot about the keys) or Se olvidó de la cita (He/she forgot about the appointment).

To put out of mind: Used for intentionally forgetting, for example Me olvidé de todos mis problemas (I forgot about all my problems).

To slip one’s mind: Describes unintentionally forgetting, for example Se me olvidó llamarte (I forgot to call you/It slipped my mind to call you).

Examples

Examples of Olvidarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me olvidé las llaves en casa. (I forgot my keys at home.)

Te olvidaste de la cita médica. (You forgot about the medical appointment.)

El conductor se olvidó del cinturón. (The driver forgot about the seatbelt.)

Nos olvidamos de su cumpleaños. (We forgot about their birthday.)

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

Me olvidé de pagar la cuenta. (I forgot to pay the bill.)

Te olvidaste el paraguas en el bus. (You forgot your umbrella on the bus.)

El chef se olvidó de un ingrediente. (The chef forgot an ingredient.)

Nos olvidamos de cerrar la ventana. (We forgot to close the window.)

Los invitados se olvidaron de la hora. (The guests forgot about the time.)

Me olvidé del nombre. (I forgot the name.)

Te olvidaste la contraseña. (You forgot the password.)

La secretaria se olvidó de la reunión. (The secretary forgot about the meeting.)

Nos olvidamos de comprar pan. (We forgot to buy bread.)

Los actores se olvidaron del guion. (The actors forgot about the script.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.