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Conjugation Chart

“Olvidarse” (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Olvidarse”

The preterite of olvidarse is used to express when you forgot something at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I forgot my keys this morning” – “Me olvidé de las llaves esta mañana.”

While this is a regular -ar verb, it’s reflexive, meaning you need to use the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) before each conjugated form.

How to Use Olvidarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of olvidarse expresses specific instances of forgetting.

To forget (specific instance): Used for particular moments of forgetting, for example Me olvidé de las llaves (I forgot the keys), or Se olvidaron de la cita (They forgot about the appointment).

To leave behind: Describes accidentally leaving something, for example Se olvidó el paraguas en el bus (They left their umbrella on the bus).

Real Life Examples of Olvidarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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

¿Te olvidaste de mi cumpleaños? (Did you forget my birthday?)

Se olvidó de la cita con el dentista. (He forgot about the dentist appointment.)

Nos olvidamos de cerrar la puerta. (We forgot to close the door.)

Se olvidaron de avisarnos. (They forgot to notify us.)

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

Te olvidaste el paraguas en el restaurante. (You forgot your umbrella at the restaurant.)

Se olvidó completamente del asunto. (He completely forgot about the matter.)

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

Se olvidaron la contraseña. (They forgot the password.)

Me olvidé de apagar la luz. (I forgot to turn off the light.)

Te olvidaste de llamar a tu madre. (You forgot to call your mother.)

Se olvidó el nombre del profesor. (He forgot the teacher’s name.)

Nos olvidamos del tiempo mientras jugábamos. (We forgot about time while playing.)

Se olvidaron de traer los documentos. (They forgot to bring the documents.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Olvidarse (to forget) in the Preterite (Past) 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.