The preterite of influir is used to express a specific instance of influencing something in the past, for example Su decisión influyó en el resultado (His decision influenced the result). This tense emphasizes the completed action of influencing at a particular moment.

This verb follows a stem-changing pattern in the preterite, where ‘i’ changes to ‘y’ in the third person singular and plural forms. This change occurs to maintain proper pronunciation.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Influir (to influence) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of influir expresses a completed action of influencing in the past.

To influence: Describes having an effect on someone or something, for example Su opinión influyó en mi decisión (His/her opinion influenced my decision) or El clima influyó en los resultados (The weather influenced the results).

To affect/impact: Used for making an impact, for example La crisis influyó en la economía (The crisis affected the economy).

Examples

Examples of Influir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Influí en la decisión del comité. (I influenced the committee’s decision.)

Influiste positivamente en tu hermano menor. (You positively influenced your younger brother.)

El profesor influyó en mi carrera. (The teacher influenced my career.)

Influimos en el resultado final. (We influenced the final result.)

Los medios influyeron en la opinión pública. (The media influenced public opinion.)

Influí en el cambio de política. (I influenced the policy change.)

Influiste en mi decisión de estudiar. (You influenced my decision to study.)

La música influyó en su estado de ánimo. (The music influenced their mood.)

Influimos en el desarrollo del proyecto. (We influenced the project’s development.)

Las redes sociales influyeron en las tendencias. (Social networks influenced the trends.)

Influí en la elección del restaurante. (I influenced the choice of restaurant.)

Influiste en el diseño final. (You influenced the final design.)

El clima influyó en nuestros planes. (The weather influenced our plans.)

Influimos en la cultura local. (We influenced the local culture.)

Los artistas influyeron en la moda. (The artists influenced fashion.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Influir (to influence) 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.