Work Space
Intermediate I
21. Preterit Tense - Regular, Irregular, and Stem-Changing
Verbs (English)
When
"regular verbs" are conjugated the ending changes and the front part
(a.k.a. stem or root) doesn’t change. When
"stem-changing verbs" are conjugated the stem changes. Most
stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when conjugated, however, there are some
verbs that don't follow a consistent rule when they are conjugated, and these
are called, "irregular verbs". The verbs that change from “e” to “ie” and “o” to “ue” ending in “ar” and “er” are regular in the
preterit tense as are the verbs ending in “cer”.
This
lesson includes information on:
- Stem-Changing
Verbs
- Irregular Verbs
- Related
Vocabulary
1.
Stem-Changing Verbs
Fortunately,
most stem-changing verbs follow a few rules when they are conjugated.
- Change the "o" to
"u" in the stem but only for the subjects "Usted/él/ella"
and "Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas". The other subjects are conjugated as a
regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Dormir |
To
sleep |
|
Yo |
Dormí |
I
slept |
|
Tú |
Dormiste |
You
slept |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Durmió |
You
(formal)/He/She slept |
|
Nosotros |
Dormimos |
We
slept |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Durmieron |
You
(plural)/They slept |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Dormir |
To
sleep |
|
Morir |
To
die |
- Change the "e"
to "i" in the stem but
only for the subjects "Usted/él/ella" and "Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas". The other subjects are conjugated as a
regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Pedir |
To
ask |
|
Yo |
Pedí |
I
asked |
|
Tú |
Pediste |
You
asked |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Pidió |
You
(formal)/He/She asked |
|
Nosotros |
Pedimos |
We
asked |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Pidieron |
You
(plural)/They asked |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Mentir |
To
lie |
|
Reír |
To
laugh |
|
Sonreír |
To
smile |
|
Servir |
To
serve |
|
Seguir |
To
follow/to continue |
- For verbs that end in
"car" change "c" to "qu" but only for the subject "yo". The other subjects are conjugated as a
regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Buscar |
To
look for |
|
Yo |
Busqué |
I
looked for |
|
Tú |
Buscaste |
You
looked for |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Buscó |
You
(formal)/He/She looked for |
|
Nosotros |
Buscamos |
We
looked for |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Buscaron |
You
(plural) speak/They looked for |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Colocar |
To
put in place |
|
Explicar |
To
explain |
|
Practicar |
To
practice |
|
Sacar |
To
take out |
|
Tocar |
To
touch |
- For verbs that end in "gar"
change the "g" to "gu"
but only for the subject "yo".
The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Llegar |
To
arrive |
|
Yo |
Llegué |
I
arrived |
|
Tú |
Llegaste |
You
arrived |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Llegó |
You
(formal)/He/She arrived |
|
Nosotros |
Llegamos |
We
arrived |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Llegaron |
You
(plural) speak/They arrived |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Castigar |
To
punish |
|
Juzgar |
To
judge |
|
Pagar |
To
pay |
For
verbs that end in "zar" change the "z"
to "c" but only for the subject "yo".
The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Abrazar |
To
hug |
|
Yo |
Abracé |
I
hugged |
|
Tú |
Abraste |
You
hugged |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Abrazó |
You
(formal)/He/She hugged |
|
Nosotros |
Abramos |
We
hugged |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Abraron |
You
(plural) speak/They hugged |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Abrazar |
To
hug |
|
Alcanzar |
To
reach |
|
Alzar |
To
raise |
|
Realizar |
To
realize (achieve a goal) |
|
Tropezar |
To
trip |
- For verbs that end in "uir" change the "i"
to "y" but only for the subjects "Usted/él/ella"
and "Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas". The other subjects are conjugated as a
regular verb. For example:
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Construir |
To
construct |
|
Yo |
Construí |
I
constructed |
|
Tú |
Construiste |
You
constructed |
|
Usted/él/ella |
Constuyó |
You
(formal)/He/She constructed |
|
Nosotros |
Construimos |
We
constructed |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
Construyeron |
You
(plural) speak/They constructed |
Here
is a list of stem-changing verbs that follow this rule:
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Destruir |
To
destroy |
|
Incluir |
To
include |
|
Huir |
To
flee |
|
Sustituir |
To
replace |
2.
Irregular Verbs
Fortunately,
there aren't many irregular verbs. Unfortunately, some of the irregular verbs
listed below are used frequently:
|
Infinitive |
|
Yo |
Tú |
Usted/él/ella |
Nosotros |
Ustedes/ellos/ellas |
|
Saber
(to
know) |
|
Supe |
Supiste |
Supo |
Supimos |
Supieron |
|
Estar (to be) |
|
Estuve |
Estuviste |
Estuvo |
Estuvimos |
Estuvieron |
|
Ser
(to
be) |
|
Fui |
Fuiste |
Fue |
Fuimos |
Fueron |
|
Ir (to go) |
|
Fui |
Fuiste |
Fue |
Fuimos |
Fueron |
|
Dar
(to
give) |
|
Di |
Diste |
Dio |
Dimos |
Dieron |
|
Traer
(to
bring) |
|
Traje |
Trajiste |
Trajo |
Trajimos |
Trajeron |
|
Decir (to say) |
|
Dije |
Dijiste |
Dijo |
Dijimos |
Dijeron |
|
Reducir (to reduce) |
|
Reduje |
Redujiste |
Redujo |
Redujimos |
Redujeron |
|
Hacer (to do) |
|
Hice |
Hiciste |
Hizo |
Hicimos |
Hicieron |
|
Poner (to put) |
|
Puse |
Pusiste |
Puso |
Pusimos |
Pusieron |
|
Poder (to be able) |
|
Pude |
Pudiste |
Pudo |
Pudimos |
Pudieron |
|
Caber
(to
fit) |
|
Cupe |
Cupiste |
Cupo |
Cupimos |
Cupieron |
|
Querer (to want) |
|
Quise |
Quisiste |
Quiso |
Quisimos |
Quisieron |
|
Tener (to have) |
|
Tuve |
Tuviste |
Tuvo |
Tuvimos |
Tuvieron |
|
Andar (to walk) |
|
Anduvo |
Anduviste |
Anduvo |
Anduvimos |
Anduvieron |
|
Venir (to come) |
|
Vine |
Viniste |
Vino |
Vinimos |
Vinieron |
These
Irregular Verbs change the "i" to "y"
but only for the subjects "Usted/él/ella" and "Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas".
The other subjects are conjugated as a regular verb. There is an accent over
the "i" for the subjects "Yo", "Tú" and
"Ustedes/ellos/ellas". For example:
|
Infinitive |
|
Yo |
Tú |
Usted/él/ella |
Nosotros |
Ustedes/ellos/ellas |
|
Caer (to fall) |
|
Caí |
Caíste |
Cayó |
Caímos |
Cayeron |
|
Creer (to believe) |
|
Creí |
Creíste |
Creyó |
Creímos |
Creyeron |
|
Leer (to read) |
|
Leí |
Leíste |
Leyó |
Leímos |
Leyeron |
|
Oír (to hear) |
|
Oí |
Oíste |
Oyó |
Oímos |
Oyeron |
3. Related
Vocabulary
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Andar |
To
walk |
|
Estar |
To
be |
|
Tener |
To
have |
|
Caber
|
To
fit |
|
Haber
|
To
have |
|
Poder |
To
be able to |
|
Poner |
To
put |
|
Saber |
To
know |
|
Querer |
To
want |
|
Venir |
To
come |
|
Decir |
To
say |
|
Producir |
To
produce |
|
Traer
|
To
bring |
|
Hacer |
To
make/do |
|
Dar
|
To
give |
|
Di |
I
gave |
|
Diste |
You
(informal) gave |
|
Dio |
You
(formal)/he/she gave |
|
Dimos |
We
gave |
|
Dieron |
You
(plural)/they gave |
|
Ser/Ir |
To
be/To go |
|
Fui |
I
was/I went |
|
Fuiste |
You
(informal) were/You went |
|
Fue |
You
(formal)/he/she (were) was/You/he/she went |
|
Fuimos |
We
were/We went |
|
Fueron |
You
(plural)/they were/You/They went |
|
De
cambio: |
Stem-changing |
|
Pedir |
To
ask for |
|
Yo pedí |
I
asked for |
|
Tú pediste |
You
asked for |
|
Él/ella/ud. pidió |
He/She/You asked for |
|
Nosotros pedimos |
We
asked for |
|
Ellos/ellas/uds. pidieron |
They/You
asked for |
|
Conseguir |
To
get/obtain |
|
Corregir |
To
correct |
|
Despedirse de |
To
say goodbye |
|
Despedir |
To
fire |
|
Elegir |
To
elect |
|
Medir |
To
measure |
|
Perseguir |
To
pursue |
|
Reír |
To
laugh |
|
Seguir |
To
continue/follow |
|
Sonreír |
To
smile |
|
Vestir(se) |
To
dress |
|
Repetir |
To
repeat |
|
Reñir |
To
scold |
|
Sentir(se) |
To
feel |
|
Morir(se) |
To
die |
|
Yo morí |
I
died |
|
Tú moriste |
You
died |
|
Él/ella/ud. murió |
He/she/you
died |
|
Nosotros morimos |
We
died |
|
Ellos/ellas/uds. murieron |
They/You
died |
|
Dormir(se) |
To
sleep |
|
Leer
|
To
read |
|
Yo leí |
I
read |
|
Tú leíste |
You
read |
|
Él/ella/ud. leyó |
He/she/you
read |
|
Nosotros leímos |
We
read |
|
Ellos/ellas/uds. leyeron |
They/You
read |
|
Creer |
To
believe |
|
Caer |
To
fall |
|
Poseer |
To
possess |
|
Oír |
To
hear |
|
Huír |
To
flee |
|
Construir |
To
construct |
|
Concluir |
To
conclude |
|
Destruir |
To
destroy |
|
Incluir |
To
include |
|
Buscar |
To
look for |
|
Yo busqué |
I
looked for |
|
Tú buscaste |
You
looked for |
|
Él/ella/ud. buscó |
He/she/you
looked for |
|
Nosotros buscamos |
We
looked for |
|
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. buscaron |
They/You
looked for |
|
Tocar |
To
touch/play |
|
Atacar |
To
attack |
|
Indicar |
To
indicate |
|
Sacar |
To
take |
|
Acercarse |
To
get close to/approach |
|
Publicar |
To
publish |
|
Arrancar |
To
start up/to pull up/to pick |
|
Pescar |
To
fish |
|
Equivocarse |
To
make a mistake |
|
Explicar |
To
explain |
|
Pagar |
To
pay |
|
Yo pagué |
I
paid |
|
Tú pagaste |
You
paid |
|
Él/ella/ud. pagó |
He/she/you
paid |
|
Nosotros pagamos |
We
paid |
|
Ellos/ellas/uds. pagaron |
They/You
paid |
|
Entregar |
To
turn in/to hand over |
|
Jugar |
To
play |
|
Negar |
To
deny |
|
Encargar |
To
order goods |
|
Encargarse de |
To
take charge of |
|
Llegar |
To
arrive |
|
Rogar |
To
beg |
|
Colgar |
To
hang |
|
Abrazar |
To
hug |
|
Yo abracé |
I
hugged |
|
Tú abrazaste |
You
hugged |
|
Él/ella/ud. abrazó |
He/she/you
hugged |
|
Nosotros abrazamos |
We
hugged |
|
Ellos/ellas/uds. abrazaron |
They/You
hugged |
|
Alcanzar |
To
reach |
|
Almorzar |
To
have lunch |
|
Empezar |
To
begin |
|
Comenzar |
To
begin |
|
Lanzar |
To
throw |
|
Rezar |
To
pray |
|
Amenazar |
To
threaten |