What is the preterite of conducir in Spanish?

The preterite of conducir is irregular: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron. It uses the j-stem conduj- with the shared irregular ending set, and drops the i from -ieron, so the third-person plural is condujeron (not condujieron). No written accents on any form.

Why is the third-person plural condujeron and not condujieron?

Conducir belongs to the j-preterite family (with traer, decir, and all -ducir verbs). All members of this family drop the i from the standard -ieron ending. The result: condujeron, trajeron, dijeron, produjeron, tradujeron.

What's the difference between conduje and manejé?

Both mean I drove, but they're regional. Spain prefers conducir → conduje (j-preterite, irregular). Most of Latin America prefers manejar → manejé (regular -ar preterite). Both verbs are understood everywhere, but each region has a clear preference in everyday speech.

How can I learn to use the preterite of conducir naturally?

Conducir / manejar appears in any story about getting around: road trips, commutes, driving lessons. Parrot's short-form videos feature these contexts heavily, so the j-preterite pattern (and the regional choice between conducir and manejar) becomes intuitive through exposure rather than charts.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Preterite of Conducir: All Forms with Examples

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

The preterite of conducir uses the j-stem conduj-: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron. The third-person plural drops the i (condujeron, not condujieron), the j-preterite family signature.

Conduje por la autopista hasta la costa.

I drove on the highway to the coast.

What it is

Conducir's preterite uses the j-stem conduj-: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron. It joins traer (traj-), decir (dij-), and the other -ducir verbs (traducir, producir, reducir, deducir) in the j-preterite family. The third-person plural drops the i, becoming condujeron, not condujieron.

In Conduje por la autopista hasta la costa (I drove on the highway to the coast), conduje marks a completed past act of driving. The preterite frames the entire drive as one finished event, often paired with a route or destination.

How to spot it

Look for conduj- followed by an unaccented ending: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron. The -duc- to -duj- shift, plus the dropped i in -eron, are the two giveaways.

Conduje toda la noche. — I drove all night.
¿Quién condujo de vuelta? — Who drove back?
Condujeron varios coches al rally. — They drove several cars to the rally.

All -ducir verbs follow this pattern (traducir → traduje, producir → produje, reducir → reduje). Once you've learned conducir, you've learned the whole subfamily.

Preterite of Conducir Quick Reference

Preterite of conducir, all six forms

Person	Form	Translation
yo	conduje	I drove
tú	condujiste	you drove
él/ella/Ud.	condujo	he, she, you (formal) drove
nosotros	condujimos	we drove
vosotros	condujisteis	you all drove (Spain)
ellos/Uds.	condujeron	they, you all drove

Common Preterite of Conducir Examples in Spanish

Conducir means to drive (a vehicle) in most Spanish-speaking countries, though Latin America also commonly uses manejar. The preterite frames each act of driving as a completed trip.

Driving Specific Trips

Conduje hasta Madrid en cinco horas.: I drove to Madrid in five hours.
Condujimos por la noche para llegar antes.: We drove at night to arrive earlier.
¿Condujiste tú o tu hermano?: Did you drive, or your brother?
Condujo todo el camino sin parar.: He drove the whole way without stopping.
Condujeron con cuidado por la lluvia.: They drove carefully because of the rain.

Specific completed drives take the preterite. Time markers (anoche, en cinco horas, ayer) confirm the bounded nature of the event.

Conducting / Leading (Figurative)

Condujo la orquesta con elegancia.: She conducted the orchestra with elegance.
Condujimos una investigación a fondo.: We conducted an in-depth investigation.
Condujeron la reunión sin problemas.: They led the meeting without problems.
El error me condujo a la respuesta correcta.: The mistake led me to the right answer.
Condujiste el debate muy bien.: You moderated the debate very well.

Conducir also means to lead, conduct, or guide, used for meetings, investigations, music, and figurative paths. The preterite frames each as a completed event.

Driving in Specific Conditions

Conduje bajo la nieve por primera vez.: I drove in the snow for the first time.
Condujimos sin GPS y nos perdimos.: We drove without GPS and got lost.
Condujo con la ventanilla abierta.: He drove with the window down.
Condujeron por una carretera peligrosa.: They drove on a dangerous road.
¿Condujiste mucho en tu viaje?: Did you drive a lot on your trip?

Pair the preterite with the specific conditions of the drive: weather, route, equipment. Each example reads as a closed past event.

Conducir vs. Manejar (Regional)

Conduje hasta tu casa. (Spain, more formal): I drove to your house.
Manejé hasta tu casa. (Latin America): I drove to your house.
Condujeron tres horas seguidas. (Spain): They drove three hours straight.
Manejaron tres horas seguidas. (Latin America): They drove three hours straight.
¿Sabes conducir? (universal): Do you know how to drive?

Spain prefers conducir; most of Latin America prefers manejar in everyday speech. Both are understood everywhere, but the regional preference is strong. Manejar is a regular -ar verb in the preterite (manejé, manejó), much simpler than conducir's j-pattern.

How to Form the Preterite of Conducir

The Stem: Conducir → Conduj-

Conducir's stem shifts from conduc- to conduj- in the preterite. This places it in the j-preterite family alongside traer (traj-), decir (dij-), and all other -ducir verbs. The c-to-j shift happens automatically, no exceptions.

conducir → conduj- → conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron.

to drive → conduj- → I drove, you drove, he drove, we drove, you all drove, they drove.

Any -ducir verb in the preterite: replace -duc- with -duj-. Traducir → traduj-, producir → produj-, reducir → reduj-.

Drop the i in -ieron → -eron

Like all j-preterite verbs, conducir drops the i from the standard third-person plural -ieron ending. So the form is condujeron, not condujieron. This is the most common error learners make with this verb.

Condujeron por la noche. ✅ (not Condujieron por la noche ❌)

They drove at night.

j + -eron, never j + -ieron. Same rule across the entire j-preterite family.

No Written Accents

The endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron attach to conduj- with no written accents. The yo (conduje) and él/ella (condujo) forms have no accents, distinguishing them from regular -ir preterites like comí and comió.

conduje (not condujé), condujo (not condujó).

No accent marks anywhere, consistent with the j-preterite family.

Strip any accent that creeps onto a conduj- form, it doesn't belong.

The -ducir Family Pattern

Every -ducir verb in Spanish follows this exact pattern in the preterite. Traducir → traduje / tradujeron. Producir → produje / produjeron. Reducir → reduje / redujeron. Deducir → deduje / dedujeron. Inducir → induje / indujeron. Once you've learned one, you've learned all of them.

Traduje el libro. Redujimos los gastos. Produjeron la película.

I translated the book. We reduced the expenses. They produced the movie.

If a verb ends in -ducir, expect the same j-preterite pattern, no exceptions.

Common Mistakes with Preterite of Conducir

Incorrect: Ellos condujieron al lago. — They drove to the lake. (wrong, j-preterite drops the i)

Correct: Ellos condujeron al lago. — They drove to the lake.

All j-preterite verbs drop the i from -ieron. The third-person plural is condujeron, never condujieron. Same rule for trajeron, dijeron, produjeron.

Incorrect: Yo condució mi nuevo coche ayer. — I drove my new car yesterday. (wrong, treating it as a regular -ir preterite)

Correct: Yo conduje mi nuevo coche ayer. — I drove my new car yesterday.

Conducir doesn't take regular -ir endings in the preterite. The stem shifts to conduj-, and the endings are -e (yo), -iste (tú), -o (él/ella), -imos (nosotros), -isteis (vosotros), -eron (ellos). The yo form is conduje.

Incorrect: Conducía hasta Madrid en cinco horas. — I drove to Madrid in five hours. (wrong, imperfect for a single completed trip)

Correct: Conduje hasta Madrid en cinco horas. — I drove to Madrid in five hours.

A specific completed drive with a defined duration takes the preterite (conduje). The imperfect (conducía) would describe ongoing or habitual driving without a clear endpoint.

Preterite of Conducir FAQs

What is the preterite of conducir in Spanish?: The preterite of conducir is irregular: conduje, condujiste, condujo, condujimos, condujisteis, condujeron. It uses the j-stem conduj- with the shared irregular ending set, and drops the i from -ieron, so the third-person plural is condujeron (not condujieron). No written accents on any form.
Why is the third-person plural condujeron and not condujieron?: Conducir belongs to the j-preterite family (with traer, decir, and all -ducir verbs). All members of this family drop the i from the standard -ieron ending. The result: condujeron, trajeron, dijeron, produjeron, tradujeron.
Do other -ducir verbs follow the same pattern?: Yes, every -ducir verb in Spanish follows the same pattern. Traducir → traduje / tradujeron. Producir → produje / produjeron. Reducir → reduje / redujeron. The -duc- to -duj- shift and the drop-the-i in third-person plural are universal across the subfamily.
What's the difference between conduje and manejé?: Both mean I drove, but they're regional. Spain prefers conducir → conduje (j-preterite, irregular). Most of Latin America prefers manejar → manejé (regular -ar preterite). Both verbs are understood everywhere, but each region has a clear preference in everyday speech.
How can I learn to use the preterite of conducir naturally?: Conducir / manejar appears in any story about getting around: road trips, commutes, driving lessons. Parrot's short-form videos feature these contexts heavily, so the j-preterite pattern (and the regional choice between conducir and manejar) becomes intuitive through exposure rather than charts.