8.2.3

Irregular AR Verbs (2/4)

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Verbs Ending in 'car' in the Preterite Tense

Some AR verbs in the preterite change their stem in the 'yo' form. This is the only change and they follow a regular pattern after this.

Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'car'Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'car' ?? "content

Verbs ending in 'car'

  • Spanish verbs ending in 'car' change their spelling in the first person preterite.
  • The 'car' in the infinitive changes to 'qué' in the 'yo' form.
    • Publicar (to publish) → publiqué (I published).
Illustrative background for Tocar - to touch, play (an instrument)Illustrative background for Tocar - to touch, play (an instrument) ?? "content

Tocar - to touch, play (an instrument)

  • Toqué - I played.
  • Tocaste - you played.
  • Tocó - she played.
  • Tocamos - we played.
  • Tocasteis - you played.
  • Tocaron - they played.
Illustrative background for Buscar - to look forIllustrative background for Buscar - to look for ?? "content

Buscar - to look for

  • Busqué - I looked for.
  • Buscaste - you looked for.
  • Buscó - she looked for.
  • Buscamos - we looked for.
  • Buscasteis - you looked for.
  • Buscaron - they looked for.
Illustrative background for Explicar - to explainIllustrative background for Explicar - to explain ?? "content

Explicar - to explain

  • Expliqué - I explained.
  • Explicaste - you explained.
  • Explicó - he explained.
  • Explicaron - we explained.
  • Explicasteis - you explained.
  • Explicaron - they explained.
Illustrative background for Similar verbsIllustrative background for Similar verbs ?? "content

Similar verbs

  • Other verbs that follow this pattern include:
    • Pescar - to fish.
    • Dedicar - to devote.
    • Provocar - to provoke.
    • Marcar - to score, to mark.
    • Sacar - to get, to achieve

Irregular AR Verbs in the Preterite Tense

Some AR verbs are irregular in the preterite tense. Here are some examples:

Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'gar'Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'gar' ?? "content

Verbs ending in 'gar'

  • Spanish verbs ending in 'gar' in the preterite change their spelling in the first person (yo).
  • These verbs add a 'u' after 'g'. For example:
    • Jugar (to play) → jugué (played).
    • Negar (to deny) → negué (I denied).
    • Llegar (to arrive) → llegué (I arrived).
    • Pagar (to pay) → pagué (I paid).
Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'car'Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'car' ?? "content

Verbs ending in 'car'

  • Spanish verbs ending in 'car' change their spelling in the first person preterite, they then follow a regular pattern after this.
  • The 'car' in the infinitive changes to 'qué' in the 'yo' form. For example:
    • Practicar (to practice) → practiqué (I practiced).
    • Buscar (to look for) → busqué (I looked for).
    • Tocar (to play) → toqué (I touched).
Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'zar'Illustrative background for Verbs ending in 'zar' ?? "content

Verbs ending in 'zar'

  • AR verbs that end in 'zar' have an irregular 'yo' form in the preterite tense.
  • The 'zar' in the infinitive changes to 'cé' in the 'yo' form, for example:
    • Comenzar (to start) → comen (I started).
    • Utilizar (to use) → utili (I used).
    • Organizar (to organise) → organi (I organised).
Illustrative background for Andar (to walk)Illustrative background for Andar (to walk) ?? "content

Andar (to walk)

  • It does NOT have any accents on the endings.
  • Add 'uv' at the end of the stem:
    • Anduve - I walked.
    • Anduviste - you walked.
    • Anduvo - he walked.
    • Anduvimos - we walked.
    • Anduvisteis - you walked.
    • Anduvieron - they walked.
Illustrative background for Estar (to be)Illustrative background for Estar (to be) ?? "content

Estar (to be)

  • It does NOT have any accents on the endings.
  • Add 'uv' at the end of the stem:
    • Estuve - I was.
    • Estuviste - you were.
    • Estuvo - she was.
    • Estuvimos - we were.
    • Estuvisteis - you were.
    • Estuvieron - they were.

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