Summary: Soler is a unique verb in Spanish because it can’t be used in all verb tenses. In linguistics, it’s what is called a defective verb. That means it can’t be conjugated and used in all verb tenses. In the case of soler, its defect is is that it can’t be used in the preterite, future, conditional or imperative tenses. Another unique aspect of soler is that it has no direct English equivalent. There is no one-word verb in English which has the exact meaning that soler has in Spanish. If you look in an English-Spanish dictionary, you will see "to be in the habit of" or "used to" or given as definitions of soler in English. Here’s all you need to know about soler. It’s a verb that you use in Spanish to indicate that an action is routine or an activity is habitual. In English we would resort to using the adverbs "usually" or "generally" to convey the same meaning. In the present tense, soler is used to refer to current actions which are routine or habitual. In the past tense, soler is used to refer to past habitual or routine actions. Also, soler is always, always, always followed by the infinitive of another verb which represents the routine action. (The formula is: SOLER + INFINITIVE of another verb = habitual action) Here are some examples: Cuando Daniel era pequeño, solía comer pasteles de barro. Creía que eran chocolate. When Daniel was little, he would eat (was in the habit of eating) mud pies. He thought they were chocolate. ¿A qué hora sueles acostarte? What time do you usually go to bed? Solía acostarme temprano pero ahora suelo dormir menos de cinco horas cada noche. (I used to go to bed early but now I usually sleep less than five hours every night.) Suelo ir al gimnasio tres veces a la semana y suelo dar un paseo en el parque con mi perro todos los días. (I usually go to the gym 3x a week and I usually take a walk in the park with my dog every day.) Soler can also be used in the subjunctive just like any other normal Spanish verb. For example: Espero que el tren suela llegar a tiempo porque tengo prisa. (I hope the train usually arrives on time because I'm in a hurry.) Me sorprende que Antonio suela salir con chicas tan bobas porque es un hombre muy culto. (It surprises me that Antonio usually goes out with such bimbos because he's a very cultured, well-educated man.) No creo que los famosos de Hollywood suelan cenar en este restaurante tan cutre y sucio. (I don't believe that Hollywood celebs generally dine in this tacky, dirty restaurant.)
