The verb “soler” in Spanish has no exact equivalent in English but can mean “usually” or “used to.” It indicates that an action is frequent in the present or was frequent in the past. Because it is used to describe a repeated action, when used in the past, only the imperfect tense is used.
| Present | Imperfect | |
| yo | suelo | solía |
| tú | sueles | solías |
| él/ella/usted | suele | solía |
| nosotros/-as | solemos | solíamos |
| vosotros/-as | soléis | solíais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | suelen | solían |
In Spanish, the conjugated “soler” is followed by a verb in the infinitive form, for example:
| Yo suelo ir al gimnasio tres veces por semana. | I usually go to the gym three times a week. |
| Mi hermano solía tomar café todas las mañanas. | My brother used to drink coffee every morning. |
| Suele llover mucho en esta región. | It usually rains a lot in this region. |
| Suelo llegar temprano a la clase. | I usually arrive early to the class. |
| Solíamos ir a la playa con más frecuencia en verano. | We used to go to the beach more often in the summer. |
| Solían juntarse más en el pasado. | They used to get together more in the past. |
Next: Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, & Desde
Other lessons in Level IV:
Level IV – Intermediate
2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect
6. Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, and Desde
