The preterite of vencer is used to express when you overcame or defeated something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I overcame my fear of heights last summer” – “Vencí mi miedo a las alturas el verano pasado.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense, using standard -er endings throughout all forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Vencer (to overcome/defeat) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | vencí |
| Tú | venciste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | venció |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | vencimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | vencisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | vencieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Vencer (to overcome/defeat) 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 Vencer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of vencer indicates completed actions of overcoming or defeating.
To overcome/defeat: Used for victory or conquest, for example Vencí mis miedos (I overcame my fears), or Vencieron al equipo rival (They defeated the rival team).
To expire: Describes when something reached its end date, for example El contrato venció ayer (The contract expired yesterday).
Examples
Examples of Vencer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Vencí mis miedos y di el discurso. (I overcame my fears and gave the speech.)
El equipo local venció por tres goles. (The home team won by three goals.)
Venciste todos los obstáculos. (You overcame all obstacles.)
Vencimos al equipo rival en la final. (We defeated the rival team in the final.)
Los manifestantes vencieron la resistencia. (The protesters overcame the resistance.)
El plazo venció ayer. (The deadline expired yesterday.)
¿Cómo venciste esa dificultad? (How did you overcome that difficulty?)
El ejército venció en la batalla decisiva. (The army won in the decisive battle.)
Vencimos las expectativas del proyecto. (We exceeded the project expectations.)
Los atletas vencieron el cansancio. (The athletes overcame fatigue.)
Vencí el récord anterior. (I beat the previous record.)
La verdad venció a la mentira. (Truth overcame lies.)
Venciste en la competencia. (You won in the competition.)
Vencimos la fecha límite. (We beat the deadline.)
El amor venció todos los obstáculos. (Love overcame all obstacles.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Vencer (to overcome/defeat) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo vencí | I overcame |
| Tú venciste | You overcame |
| Él / Ella / Usted venció | He / She / You (formal) overcame |
| Nosotros / Nosotras vencimos | We overcame |
| Vosotros / Vosotras vencisteis | You all overcame |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes vencieron | They / You all (formal) overcame |
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.