The preterite of recordar is used to express the moment of remembering something in the past. For example, you might say “I remembered his birthday just in time,” indicating the specific instant when memory occurred.

This is a regular -ar verb in the preterite tense. While it’s stem-changing in some tenses, it follows regular patterns in the preterite.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Recordar (to remember) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of recordar indicates a completed action of remembering in the past.

To remember/recall: Describes bringing something to mind, for example Recordé su nombre de repente (I suddenly remembered his/her name) or Recordaron los buenos momentos (They remembered the good times).

To remind: Used for reminding someone, for example Le recordé la cita (I reminded him/her of the appointment).

Examples

Examples of Recordar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Recordé su cumpleaños justo a tiempo. (I remembered her birthday just in time.)

¿Recordaste traer las llaves? (Did you remember to bring the keys?)

Ella recordó la cita con el dentista. (She remembered the dentist appointment.)

Recordamos los buenos momentos. (We remembered the good times.)

Los estudiantes recordaron estudiar para el examen. (The students remembered to study for the exam.)

Recordé mi primer día de escuela. (I remembered my first day of school.)

¿No recordaste mi nombre? (Didn’t you remember my name?)

Mi abuela recordó su juventud. (My grandmother remembered her youth.)

Recordamos el camino a casa. (We remembered the way home.)

Todos recordaron traer un regalo. (Everyone remembered to bring a gift.)

Recordé pagar la cuenta. (I remembered to pay the bill.)

¿Recordaste la contraseña? (Did you remember the password?)

El testigo recordó todos los detalles. (The witness remembered all the details.)

Recordamos llamar a mamá. (We remembered to call mom.)

Los niños recordaron hacer la tarea. (The children remembered to do their homework.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Recordar (to remember) 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.