6.2.9

Irregular IR Verbs - Preterite

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Radical Changing Stems (E → I)

For some Spanish verbs, their stem changes in the 'él/ella' form and the 'ellos/ellas' form of the preterite tense. Derivatives of these verbs follow the same pattern.

Illustrative background for Radical changing stemIllustrative background for Radical changing stem ?? "content

Radical changing stem

  • Some IR verbs in the preterite tense change their stem.
    • In the 'él/ella' and the 'ellos/ellas' forms, the 'e' changes to an 'i'.
Illustrative background for Elegir - to chooseIllustrative background for Elegir - to choose ?? "content

Elegir - to choose

  • Elegí - I chose.
  • Elegiste - you chose.
  • Eligió - he/she chose.
  • Elegimos - we chose.
  • Elegisteis - you chose.
  • Eligieron - they chose.
Illustrative background for Mentir - to lieIllustrative background for Mentir - to lie ?? "content

Mentir - to lie

  • Mentí - I lied.
  • Mentiste - you lied.
  • Mintió - he/she lied.
  • Mentimos - we lied.
  • Mentisteis - you lied.
  • Mintieron - they lied.
Illustrative background for Pedir - to askIllustrative background for Pedir - to ask ?? "content

Pedir - to ask

  • Pedí - I asked.
  • Pediste - you asked.
  • Pidió - he/she asked.
  • Pedimos - we asked.
  • Pedisteis - you asked.
  • Pidieron - they asked.
Illustrative background for Sentir - to feelIllustrative background for Sentir - to feel ?? "content

Sentir - to feel

  • Sentí - I felt.
  • Sentiste - you felt.
  • Sintió - he/she felt.
  • Sentimos - we felt.
  • Sentisteis - you felt.
  • Sintieron - they felt.
Illustrative background for Verbs that follow this patternIllustrative background for Verbs that follow this pattern ?? "content

Verbs that follow this pattern

  • Medir - to measure.
  • Sugerir - to suggest.
  • Seguir - to follow, continue.
  • Preferir - to prefer.
  • Advertir - to warn.
  • Corregir - to correct.

Radical Changing Stems (O → U)

In the preterite tense, some verbs change their stems in the 'él/ella' and 'ellos/ellas' forms, with the 'o' changing to a 'u'. The two verbs that follow this pattern are 'morir' and 'dormir'.

Illustrative background for Morir - to dieIllustrative background for Morir - to die ?? "content

Morir - to die

  • Morí - I died.
  • Moriste - you died.
  • Murió - he/she died.
  • Morimos - we died.
  • Moristeis - you died.
  • Murieron - they died.
Illustrative background for Dormir - to sleepIllustrative background for Dormir - to sleep ?? "content

Dormir - to sleep

  • Dormí - I slept.
  • Dormiste - you slept.
  • Durmió - he/she slept.
  • Dormimos - we slept.
  • Dormisteis - you slept.
  • Durmieron - they slept.

Radical Changing Stems (I → Y)

Most IR verbs that end in 'uir' change their stem in the 'él/ella' and 'ellos/ellas' forms of the preterite tense. These verbs drop the 'i' from the stem and instead have a 'y'.

Illustrative background for Contribuir - to contributeIllustrative background for Contribuir - to contribute ?? "content

Contribuir - to contribute

  • Contribuí - I contributed.
  • Contribuiste - you contributed.
  • Contribuyó - he/she contributed.
  • Contribuimos - we contributed.
  • Contribuisteis - you contributed.
  • Contribuyeron - they contributed.
Illustrative background for Oír - to hearIllustrative background for Oír - to hear ?? "content

Oír - to hear

  • - I heard.
  • Oíste - you heard.
  • Oyó - he/she heard.
  • Oímos - we heard.
  • Oísteis - you heard.
  • Oyeron - they heard.

Jump to other topics

1The Basics

2Current & Future Study & Employment

3Identity & Culture

3.1Me, My Family & Friends

3.2Me, My Family & Friends - Translations

3.3Technology in Everyday Life

3.4Technology in Everyday Life - Translations

3.5Free Time Activities

3.6Free Time Activities - Translations

3.7Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries

3.8Customs & Festivals - Translations

4Areas of Interest

4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region

4.2Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Translations

4.3Social Issues

4.4Social Issues - Translations

4.5Global Issues

4.6Global Issues - Translations

4.7Travel & Tourism

4.8Travel & Tourism - Translations

5Listening Practice

6Common Tenses

7Important Verbs

8Advanced Tenses

9Extra Grammar

9.1Articles

9.2Negatives

9.3Nouns

9.4Asking Questions

9.5Adjectives

9.6Adverbs

9.7Conjunctions

9.8Pronouns

9.9By, With, From, Of

9.10Verbs

9.11Comparisons

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