Irregular AR Verbs 2
Spanish: KS3, topic 17.1.3
Verbs Ending in 'zar' in the Preterite Tense
AR verbs that en in 'zar' have an irregular 'yo' form in the preterite tense. The 'zar' in the infinitive changes to 'cé' in the 'yo' form, e.g. comenzar → comencé (to start → I started).
Empezar - to begin
- Empecé - I began.
- Empezaste - you began.
- Empezó - he/she began.
- Empezamos - we began.
- Empezasteis - you began.
- Empezaron - they began.
Comenzar - to start
- Comencé - I started.
- Comenzaste - you started.
- Comenzó - he/she started.
- Comenzamos - we started.
- Comenzasteis - you started.
- Comenzaron - they started.
Utilizar - to use
- Utilicé - I used.
- Utilizaste - you used.
- Utilizó - she used.
- Utilizamos - we used.
- Utilizasteis - you used.
- Utilizaron - they used.
Similar verbs
- Other verbs that follow this pattern include:
- Almorzar - to have lunch.
- Amenazar - to threaten.
- Cruzar - to cross.
- Organizar - to organise.
- Alcanzar - to reach.
'Strong Preterites'
'Strong preterites' differ from the general rules but still follow a pattern. They do NOT have any accents on the endings - instead, the stress falls on the stem of the verb.
Andar - to walk
- 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.
Estar - to be
- 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.
Dar - to give
- Changes the vowel to 'i':
- Di - I gave.
- Diste - you gave.
- Dio - she gave.
- Dimos - we gave.
- Disteis - you gave.
- Dieron - they gave.
Test yourself on Irregular AR Verbs 2
How do you say 'I had lunch' in Spanish?