The preterite of conducir is used to express when you drove or led something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I drove to the beach last weekend” – “Conduje a la playa el fin de semana pasado.”

This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes to ‘conduj-‘ throughout all forms, making it essential to memorize these unique conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Conducir (to drive) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The Preterite of conducir expresses completed actions of driving or conducting.

To drive: Describes specific instances of driving, for example Conduje hasta la playa (I drove to the beach), or Condujeron toda la noche (They drove all night).

To lead/conduct: Indicates leadership of an event, for example Condujo la reunión eficientemente (She conducted the meeting efficiently).

Examples

Examples of Conducir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Conduje toda la noche para llegar a tiempo. (I drove all night to arrive on time.)

¿Condujiste con cuidado en la lluvia? (Did you drive carefully in the rain?)

Condujo el autobús durante veinte años. (He/she drove the bus for twenty years.)

Condujimos hasta la playa. (We drove to the beach.)

Condujeron por la carretera costera. (They drove along the coastal highway.)

Conduje a casa después del trabajo. (I drove home after work.)

¿Por qué condujiste tan rápido? (Why did you drive so fast?)

Condujo el equipo hacia la victoria. (He/she led the team to victory.)

Condujimos a través de tres estados. (We drove through three states.)

Condujeron la investigación con profesionalidad. (They conducted the investigation professionally.)

Conduje al aeropuerto esta mañana. (I drove to the airport this morning.)

Condujiste muy bien en el examen. (You drove very well in the test.)

Condujo la orquesta magistralmente. (He/she conducted the orchestra masterfully.)

Condujimos con cuidado en la nieve. (We drove carefully in the snow.)

Condujeron las negociaciones exitosamente. (They conducted the negotiations successfully.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Conducir (to drive) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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.