The preterite of componer is used to express when you composed or fixed something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I composed the song last month” – “Compuse la canción el mes pasado.”
This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. Like its root verb ‘poner’, it uses the stem ‘pus-‘ throughout all conjugations, making it essential to learn these forms separately.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Componer (to compose/fix) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | compuse |
| Tú | compusiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | compuso |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | compusimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | compusisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | compusieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Componer (to compose/fix) 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 Componer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of componer expresses completed acts of composition or repair.
To compose/write: Used for creating music or writing, for example Compuse una canción para mi hermana (I composed a song for my sister), or Compusieron el himno del colegio (They composed the school anthem).
To fix/repair: Indicates repairing something, for example Compuso el reloj roto (He fixed the broken watch).
Examples
Examples of Componer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
El músico compuso una hermosa melodía. (The musician composed a beautiful melody.)
Compusimos la letra de la canción juntos. (We composed the lyrics of the song together.)
¿Quién compuso esta sinfonía? (Who composed this symphony?)
Los artistas compusieron un nuevo álbum. (The artists composed a new album.)
Compuse un poema para mi madre. (I composed a poem for my mother.)
El mecánico compuso el motor en una hora. (The mechanic fixed the engine in an hour.)
Compusiste la computadora muy rápido. (You fixed the computer very quickly.)
Los técnicos compusieron la red wifi. (The technicians fixed the wifi network.)
Compusimos el error en el sistema. (We fixed the error in the system.)
¿Cuándo compusiste esta canción? (When did you compose this song?)
Beethoven compuso esta obra en 1804. (Beethoven composed this work in 1804.)
Compusieron una nueva versión de la canción. (They composed a new version of the song.)
El equipo compuso la máquina rota. (The team fixed the broken machine.)
Compuse la melodía en una noche. (I composed the melody in one night.)
Los estudiantes compusieron una obra de teatro. (The students composed a play.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Componer (to compose/fix) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo compuse | I composed |
| Tú compusiste | You composed |
| Él / Ella / Usted compuso | He / She / You (formal) composed |
| Nosotros / Nosotras compusimos | We composed |
| Vosotros / Vosotras compusisteis | You all composed |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes compusieron | They / You all (formal) composed |
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.