soler + Infinitive

Habitual Action

Level 5

Use 'soler + infinitive' to describe what someone usually does or used to do.

How It Works

The structure soler + infinitive is a verbal periphrasis used to express habitual actions or customs. It's a very common and natural way to say that someone 'usually' or 'tends to' do something in the present, or 'used to' do something in the past.

Conjugation:
The verb soler is most commonly used in two tenses: the present indicative and the imperfect indicative.

  • Present Tense (o→ue stem change):
    yo suelo
    tú sueles
    él/ella/usted suele
    nosotros/as solemos
    vosotros/as soléis
    ellos/ellas/ustedes suelen
  • Imperfect Tense (regular -er verb):
    yo solía
    tú solías
    él/ella/usted solía
    nosotros/as solíamos
    vosotros/as solíais
    ellos/ellas/ustedes solían

Usage Nuances:
While the imperfect tense on its own can describe past habits (e.g., 'Cuando era niño, jugaba aquí' - When I was a child, I played here), using solía + infinitive ('Cuando era niño, solía jugar aquí') adds more emphasis to the habitual, repeated nature of the action. It explicitly marks it as a custom or routine.

It is very rare to see soler in other tenses like the preterite or future. This is because its meaning is inherently about ongoing habits, which conflicts with the preterite's focus on specific, completed events.

Examples (6)

  1. Suelo tomar un café después de almorzar.

    I usually have a coffee after lunch.

    Word by Word: I usually to have a coffee after to have lunch.

  2. ¿Qué sueles hacer los fines de semana?

    What do you usually do on the weekends?

    Word by Word: What you usually to do the weekends?

  3. Cuando éramos pequeños, solíamos ir a la playa todos los veranos.

    When we were little, we used to go to the beach every summer.

    Word by Word: When we were little, we used to to go to the beach all the summers.

  4. Mi abuela solía contarnos historias antes de dormir.

    My grandmother used to tell us stories before bed.

    Word by Word: My grandmother used to to tell us stories before to sleep.

  5. No solemos cenar muy tarde.

    We don't usually have dinner very late.

    Word by Word: Not we usually to have dinner very late.

  6. Antes la gente solía escribir cartas, pero ahora casi nadie lo hace.

    People used to write letters before, but now almost nobody does it.

    Word by Word: Before the people used to to write letters, but now almost nobody it does.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'soler' in the preterite tense for a single action.

    Ayer solí ver una película.
    Ayer vi una película.

    The verb 'soler' describes a habit or routine, which is incompatible with the preterite tense's function of describing a single, completed event. To talk about something you did once, just use the preterite of the main verb.

  • Confusing 'soler + infinitive' (to usually do) with 'estar acostumbrado a' (to be used to).

    Suelo el clima frío de aquí.
    Estoy acostumbrado al clima frío de aquí.

    'Soler' must be followed by an infinitive and describes a habitual action. 'Estar acostumbrado a' is followed by a noun or infinitive and describes being accustomed or adapted to something.

Words in This Pattern

soler