17.1.10

Irregular IR Verbs - Preterite

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Radical Changing Stems (E → I)

In the preterite tense in Spanish some verbs change their stem in the 'él/ella' form and the 'ellos/ellas' form. These changes only affect these forms of the verb. 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.

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