【英文版西语语法】Spanish Preterite Stem Changes_英文版西语语法_西班牙语语法

Stem-changing Verbs, Verbs with Spelling Changes, and Irregular Verbs

Some Spanish preterite verbs undergo changes in the stem when conjugated. Others undergo more drastic spelling changes or are simply considered irregular. In this article, we'll take a look at some common verbs with tricky preterite conjugations, including

Stem-changing -ir verbs

Verbs with stems ending in a vowel

Verbs with j preterite stems

Verbs with uv preterite stems

Verbs with u preterite stems

Verbs with i preterite stems

The irregular verbs ser, ir, dar, and ver

Looking for an introduction to the past tense in Spanish? Check out our article on Spanish preterite tense forms.

Stem-changing -ir Verbs

Verbs ending in -ir that undergo stem changes in the present tense also under go stem changes in the preterite. These verbs have a stem change in the second person formal singular (usted), third person singular (él, ella) and third and second person plural (ellos, ellas and ustedes) forms.

These changes fall into two types:

e to i, as in the verbs sentir (to feel) and pedir (to ask for)

o to u, as in the verb dormir (to sleep)

Check out the conjugations for examples of these verb types below, paying careful attention the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes translations.

Preterite Conjugations of Sentir, Pedir, and Dormir

Subject sentir (to feel) pedir (to order) dormir (to sleep)

sentí

pedí

dormí

tú

sentiste

pediste

dormiste

él, ella, usted

sintió

pidió

durmió

nosotros

sentimos

pedimos

dormimos

vosotros

sentisteis

pedisteis

dormisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

sintieron

pidieron

durmieron

¡Ojo! (Careful!) Reír and sonreír also have stem changes in the preterite. Check out the conjugations for these verbs below.

Preterite Conjugations of Reír and Sonreír

Subject reír (to laugh) sonreír (to smile)

reí

sonreí

tú

reíste

sonreíste

él, ella, usted

rió

sonrió

nosotros

reímos

sonreímos

vosotros

reísteis

sonreísteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

rieron

sonrieron

Here are examples of other verbs with the spelling changes described above.

Spanish English

conseguir

to get

despedirse

to say goodbye

divertirse

to have fun

morir

to die

repetir

to repeat

servir

to serve, to function

sugerir

to suggest

vestirse

to get dressed

Verbs with j Preterite Stems

The majority of verbs ending in -ducir, as well as the verbs decir and traer, take a j in the preterite in all forms. In addition, the ellos, ellas, and ustedes forms of these verbs end in -eron instead of -ieron.

Check out the conjugations below for examples of these verb types.

Preterite Conjugations of Conducir and Traducir

Subject conducir (to lead) traducir (to translate)

conduje

traduje

tú

condujiste

tradujiste

él, ella, usted

condujo

tradujo

nosotros

condujimos

tradujimos

vosotros

condujisteis

tradujisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

condujeron

tradujeron

Preterite Conjugations of Traer and Decir

Subject decir (to say) traer (to bring)

dije

traje

tú

dijiste

trajiste

él, ella, usted

dijo

trajo

nosotros

dijimos

trajimos

vosotros

dijisteis

trajisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

dijeron

trajeron

Verbs with Stems Ending in a Vowel

Verbs that have stems ending in a vowel + -er or -ir take a y in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.

Verbs ending in a silent vowel + -er or -ir (like seguir) do not undergo this change.

Check out the conjugations below for examples of these verb types.

Preterite Conjugations of Caer, Leer, Roer, Oír, and Concluir

Subject caer (to fall) leer (to read) roer (to nibble) oír (to hear) concluir (to conclude)

caí

leí

roí

oí

concluí

tú

caíste

leíste

roíste

oíste

concluiste

él, ella, usted

cayó

leyó

royó

oyó

concluyó

nosotros

caímos

leímos

roímos

oímos

concluimos

vosotros

caísteis

leísteis

roísteis

oísteis

concluisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

cayeron

leyeron

royeron

oyeron

concluyeron

Verbs that end in -uir, like concluir, construir, and incluir, do not have accents on their tú, nosotros or vosotros forms.

Verbs with uv Preterite Stems

Some common irregular verbs follow similar patterns in the preterite. For example, tener, andar, and estar all have preterite stems with uv.

Preterite Conjugations for Andar, Estar, and Tener

Subject andar (to walk) estar (to be) tener (to have)

anduve

estuve

tuve

tú

anduviste

estuviste

tuviste

él, ella, usted

anduvo

estuvo

tuvo

nosotros

anduvimos

estuvimos

tuvimos

vosotros

anduvisteis

estuvisteis

tuvisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

anduvieron

estuvieron

tuvieron

Verbs with u Preterite Stems

These common irregular verbs swap the first vowel in the infinitive form to make a new preterite stem with u.

Check out the conjugations below for examples of these verb types.

Preterite Conjugations of Caber, Haber, Poder, Poner, and Saber

Subject caber (to fit) haber (to have) poder (to be able to) poner (to put) saber (to know)

cupe

hube

pude

puse

supe

tú

cupiste

hubiste

pudiste

pusiste

supiste

él, ella, usted

cupo

hubo

pudo

puso

supo

nosotros

cupimos

hubimos

pudimos

pusimos

supimos

vosotros

cupisteis

hubisteis

pudisteis

pusisteis

supisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

cupieron

hubieron

pudieron

pusieron

supieron

Caber, poner, and saber have extra spelling changes in the preterite:

caber: the b changes to a p.

poner: the n changes to an s.

saber: the b changes to a p.

Verbs with i Preterite Stems

These common irregular verbs swap the first (or, in the case of querer, the second) vowel in the infinitive form to make a new preterite stem with i.

Check out the conjugations below for examples of these verb types.

Preterite Conjugations of Hacer, Querer, and Venir

Subject hacer (to do) querer (to want) venir (to come)

hice

quise

vine

tú

hiciste

quisiste

viniste

él, ella, usted

hizo

quiso

vino

nosotros

hicimos

quisimos

vinimos

vosotros

hicisteis

quisisteis

vinisteis

ellos, ellas, ustedes

hicieron

quisieron

vinieron

In the él, ella and usted forms of hacer, the c changes to a z.

All preterite forms of querer swap the first r for an s.

The Irregular Verbs Ser, Ir, Dar, and Ver

The following irregular preterite forms are ones you've just got to memorize.

Preterite Conjugations of Ser, Ir, Dar, and Ver

Subject ser (to be) ir (to go) dar (to give) ver (to see)

fui

tú

fuiste

diste

viste

usted, él, ella

fue

dio

vio

nosotros

fuimos

dimos

vimos

vosotros

fuisteis

disteis

visteis

ustedes, ellos, ellas

fueron

dieron

vieron

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【英文版西语语法】Spanish Preterite Stem Changes