Vestir Preterite (Past) Tense in Latin American Spanish

The preterite of vestir is used to express a specific instance of dressing in the past, for example Me vestí rápidamente (I got dressed quickly). This tense emphasizes the completed action of dressing at a particular moment.

This verb follows the e to i stem-changing pattern in the preterite, but only in the third person singular and plural forms. The stem change occurs when the stress falls on these forms.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Vestir (to dress) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Pronoun Conjugation
Yovestí
vestiste
Él / Ella / Ustedvistió
Nosotros / Nosotrasvestimos
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesvistieron

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Vestir (to dress) 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 Vestir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of vestir expresses a completed action of dressing or wearing clothes in the past.

To dress: Describes putting on clothes, for example Me vestí rápidamente para la fiesta (I dressed quickly for the party) or Vistió al niño con ropa abrigada (She dressed the child in warm clothes).

To wear: Used for wearing specific clothing on a specific occasion, for example Vistió un traje elegante para la boda (He/she wore an elegant suit for the wedding).

Examples

Examples of Vestir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Vestí a mi hija para la escuela. (I dressed my daughter for school.)

Vestiste al bebé con ropa abrigada. (You dressed the baby in warm clothes.)

La madre vistió a los gemelos. (The mother dressed the twins.)

Vestimos a los actores para la obra. (We dressed the actors for the play.)

Las estilistas vistieron a las modelos. (The stylists dressed the models.)

Vestí al muñeco con un traje nuevo. (I dressed the doll in a new suit.)

Vestiste elegante para la cena. (You dressed elegantly for dinner.)

El diseñador vistió a la novia. (The designer dressed the bride.)

Vestimos de gala para el evento. (We dressed up for the event.)

Los padres vistieron a sus hijos de superhéroes. (The parents dressed their children as superheroes.)

Vestí al paciente para la cirugía. (I dressed the patient for surgery.)

Vestiste al equipo con uniformes nuevos. (You dressed the team in new uniforms.)

La abuela vistió al niño con esmero. (The grandmother dressed the child with care.)

Vestimos al árbol de navidad. (We dressed the Christmas tree.)

Las familias vistieron de luto. (The families dressed in mourning.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

Spanish English
Yo vestí I dressed
Tú vestiste You dressed
Él / Ella / Usted vistió He / She / You dressed
Nosotros / Nosotras vestimos We dressed
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes vistieron They / You all dressed

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.