The preterite of responder is used to express when someone responded or answered at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “She responded to my email yesterday” – “Ella respondió a mi correo ayer.”
This is a regular -er verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard -er conjugation pattern without any stem changes or spelling adjustments.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Responder (to respond) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | respondí |
| Tú | respondiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | respondió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | respondimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | respondisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | respondieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Responder (to respond) 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 Responder in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of responder expresses completed responses or reactions.
To respond/answer: Describes giving a specific reply, for example Respondí al correo inmediatamente (I responded to the email immediately), or Respondieron a todas las preguntas (They answered all the questions).
To react: Indicates how someone reacted to a situation, for example El medicamento respondió bien (The medication responded well).
Examples
Examples of Responder in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Respondí al correo inmediatamente. (I responded to the email immediately.)
¿Por qué no respondiste mis mensajes? (Why didn’t you respond to my messages?)
El profesor respondió todas las preguntas. (The professor answered all the questions.)
Respondimos a la invitación. (We responded to the invitation.)
Los estudiantes respondieron correctamente. (The students answered correctly.)
Respondí la llamada tarde. (I answered the call late.)
¿Cómo respondiste a la noticia? (How did you respond to the news?)
Ella respondió con calma. (She responded calmly.)
Respondimos al desafío. (We responded to the challenge.)
Ellos respondieron a la emergencia. (They responded to the emergency.)
No respondí a su pregunta. (I didn’t answer their question.)
Respondiste muy bien en la entrevista. (You responded very well in the interview.)
El equipo respondió con un gol. (The team responded with a goal.)
Respondimos a tiempo. (We responded on time.)
Los médicos respondieron rápidamente. (The doctors responded quickly.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Responder (to respond) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo respondí | I responded |
| Tú respondiste | You responded |
| Él / Ella / Usted respondió | He / She / You (formal) responded |
| Nosotros / Nosotras respondimos | We responded |
| Vosotros / Vosotras respondisteis | You all responded |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes respondieron | They / You all (formal) responded |
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.