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.

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'.

Elegir - to choose
- Elegí - I chose.
- Elegiste - you chose.
- Eligió - he/she chose.
- Elegimos - we chose.
- Elegisteis - you chose.
- Eligieron - they chose.

Mentir - to lie
- Mentí - I lied.
- Mentiste - you lied.
- Mintió - he/she lied.
- Mentimos - we lied.
- Mentisteis - you lied.
- Mintieron - they lied.

Pedir - to ask
- Pedí - I asked.
- Pediste - you asked.
- Pidió - he/she asked.
- Pedimos - we asked.
- Pedisteis - you asked.
- Pidieron - they asked.

Sentir - to feel
- Sentí - I felt.
- Sentiste - you felt.
- Sintió - he/she felt.
- Sentimos - we felt.
- Sentisteis - you felt.
- Sintieron - they felt.

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'.

Morir - to die
- Morí - I died.
- Moriste - you died.
- Murió - he/she died.
- Morimos - we died.
- Moristeis - you died.
- Murieron - they died.

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'.

Contribuir - to contribute
- Contribuí - I contributed.
- Contribuiste - you contributed.
- Contribuyó - he/she contributed.
- Contribuimos - we contributed.
- Contribuisteis - you contributed.
- Contribuyeron - they contributed.

Oír - to hear
- Oí - I heard.
- Oíste - you heard.
- Oyó - he/she heard.
- Oímos - we heard.
- Oísteis - you heard.
- Oyeron - they heard.
1The Basics
1.1Pronouns
2Current & Future Study & Employment
2.1School & Subjects
2.2School & Subjects - Translations (Foundation)
2.3School & Subjects - Translations (Higher)
2.4Education Post - 16
2.5Education Post - 16 - Translations (Foundation)
2.6Education Post - 16 - Translations (Higher)
3Identity & Culture
3.1Me, My Family & Friends
3.2Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Foundation)
3.3Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Higher)
3.4Technology in Everyday Life
3.5Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Foundation)
3.6Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Higher)
3.7Free Time Activities
3.8Free Time Activities - Translations (Foundation)
3.9Free Time Activities - Translations (Higher)
3.10Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
3.11Customs & Festivals - Translations (Foundation)
3.12Customs & Festivals - Translations (Higher)
4Areas of Interest
4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
4.2Home & Region - Translations (Foundation)
4.3Home & Region - Translations (Higher)
4.4Social Issues
4.5Social Issues - Translations (Foundation)
4.6Social Issues - Translations (Higher)
4.7Global Issues
4.8Global Issues - Translations
4.9Travel & Tourism
4.10Travel & Tourism - Translations
5Listening Practice
5.1Time Expressions - Listening
5.2Me, My Family & Friends - Listening
5.3Technology in Everyday Life - Listening
5.4Free-Time - Listening
5.5Customs & Festivals - Listening
5.6Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Listening
5.7Social Issues - Listening
5.8Travel & Tourism - Listening
5.9Education - Listening
5.10Food & Drink - Listening
5.11In the Home - Listening
5.12Colours - Listening
5.13Clothes & Accesories - Listening
5.14Measurements - Listening
5.15Materials - Listening
6Common Tenses
6.1Present Tense
6.2Preterite Tense
6.3Imperfect Tense
6.4Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
6.5Future Tense
7Important Verbs
7.1To Be - 'Ser' & 'Estar'
7.2To Like - 'Gustar'
7.3To Have - 'Tener'
8Advanced Tenses
8.1The Simple Future
8.2Conditional Tense
8.3Continuous Tenses
8.5Present Subjunctive
8.6Imperfect Subjunctive
9Extra Grammar
9.1Articles
9.2Negatives
9.3Nouns
9.4Asking Questions
9.5Adjectives
9.8Pronouns
9.9By, With, From, Of
9.10Verbs
Jump to other topics
1The Basics
1.1Pronouns
2Current & Future Study & Employment
2.1School & Subjects
2.2School & Subjects - Translations (Foundation)
2.3School & Subjects - Translations (Higher)
2.4Education Post - 16
2.5Education Post - 16 - Translations (Foundation)
2.6Education Post - 16 - Translations (Higher)
3Identity & Culture
3.1Me, My Family & Friends
3.2Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Foundation)
3.3Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Higher)
3.4Technology in Everyday Life
3.5Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Foundation)
3.6Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Higher)
3.7Free Time Activities
3.8Free Time Activities - Translations (Foundation)
3.9Free Time Activities - Translations (Higher)
3.10Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
3.11Customs & Festivals - Translations (Foundation)
3.12Customs & Festivals - Translations (Higher)
4Areas of Interest
4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region
4.2Home & Region - Translations (Foundation)
4.3Home & Region - Translations (Higher)
4.4Social Issues
4.5Social Issues - Translations (Foundation)
4.6Social Issues - Translations (Higher)
4.7Global Issues
4.8Global Issues - Translations
4.9Travel & Tourism
4.10Travel & Tourism - Translations
5Listening Practice
5.1Time Expressions - Listening
5.2Me, My Family & Friends - Listening
5.3Technology in Everyday Life - Listening
5.4Free-Time - Listening
5.5Customs & Festivals - Listening
5.6Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Listening
5.7Social Issues - Listening
5.8Travel & Tourism - Listening
5.9Education - Listening
5.10Food & Drink - Listening
5.11In the Home - Listening
5.12Colours - Listening
5.13Clothes & Accesories - Listening
5.14Measurements - Listening
5.15Materials - Listening
6Common Tenses
6.1Present Tense
6.2Preterite Tense
6.3Imperfect Tense
6.4Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
6.5Future Tense
7Important Verbs
7.1To Be - 'Ser' & 'Estar'
7.2To Like - 'Gustar'
7.3To Have - 'Tener'
8Advanced Tenses
8.1The Simple Future
8.2Conditional Tense
8.3Continuous Tenses
8.5Present Subjunctive
8.6Imperfect Subjunctive
9Extra Grammar
9.1Articles
9.2Negatives
9.3Nouns
9.4Asking Questions
9.5Adjectives
9.8Pronouns
9.9By, With, From, Of
9.10Verbs
Practice questions on Irregular IR Verbs - Preterite
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1How do you say 'they lied' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 2Irregular IR verbs in the preterite tense:Fill in the list
- 3¿Cómo se dice 'they suggested' en español?Multiple choice
- 4¿Cómo diríais 'she slept well' en español?Multiple choice
- 5How do you say 'they heard' in Spanish?Multiple choice
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