The preterite of responder is used to express a specific instance of responding in the past. For example, you might say “I responded to the email immediately,” indicating a completed action at a particular moment.
This is a regular -er verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added directly to the stem ‘respond-‘ without any modifications.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Responder (to respond) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | respondí |
| Tú | respondiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | respondió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | respondimos |
| 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 indicates completed acts of responding or answering.
Direct Responses: Used for specific instances of answering, for example Respondió a todas las preguntas (She answered all the questions). No me respondiste el mensaje (You didn’t respond to my message).
Reactions: Can describe how someone or something reacted, for example El tratamiento respondió bien (The treatment responded well). Also used in formal contexts as in Respondieron a las acusaciones (They responded to the accusations).
Examples
Examples of Responder in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Respondí al mensaje inmediatamente. (I responded to the message immediately.)
¿Por qué no respondiste mis llamadas? (Why didn’t you respond to my calls?)
El profesor respondió todas las preguntas. (The teacher responded to all the questions.)
Respondimos a la invitación ayer. (We responded to the invitation yesterday.)
Los estudiantes respondieron bien al examen. (The students responded well to the test.)
Respondí correctamente a todas las preguntas. (I responded correctly to all the questions.)
¿Cuándo respondiste al correo? (When did you respond to the email?)
La empresa respondió a nuestra queja. (The company responded to our complaint.)
Respondimos al desafío con éxito. (We responded to the challenge successfully.)
Ellos no respondieron a tiempo. (They didn’t respond on time.)
Respondí a la encuesta en línea. (I responded to the online survey.)
¿Respondiste a su pregunta? (Did you respond to their question?)
El doctor respondió a mis preocupaciones. (The doctor responded to my concerns.)
Respondimos a la emergencia rápidamente. (We responded to the emergency quickly.)
Los políticos respondieron a las críticas. (The politicians responded to the criticism.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Responder (to respond) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo respondí | I responded |
| Tú respondiste | You responded |
| Él / Ella / Usted respondió | He / She / You responded |
| Nosotros / Nosotras respondimos | We responded |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes respondieron | They / You all responded |
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.