Preterite - Irregular Verbs  

Spanish Grammar Preterite Tense Irregular Verbs
Overview

An irregular Spanish verb is one which does not follow standard rules of conjugation. Some of the irregularities of the irregular verbs are predictable. The table below shows the terminations for many irregular verbs in the preterite tense.

yo e
iste
Ud./él/ella o
nosotros as imos
vosotros as isteis
Uds./ellos/ellas ieron

The verb poder (to be able) is irregular in the preterite tense. It is a u-stem verb, the stem changes from o to u. When cojugated, poder uses the irregular preterite tense endings shown in the table above. It is conjugated as shown below.

yo pude nosotros pudimos
pudiste vosotros pudisteis
Ud./él/ella pudo Uds./ellos/ ellas pudieron

Let's look at some example sentences using the verb poder.

No pude hacer nada.
I couldn't do anything.

Vi a Luis pero no pude hablar con él.
I saw Luis but I was not able to speak with him.

Follow the links below for an explanation of the most common irregular verbs types in the Preterite tense.

u-stem verbs

j-stem verbs

i-stem verbs

accented endings

(e) changes to (i)


Vocabulary
Quizzes
Related Topics
 
  Vocabulary Flashcards
  Vocabulary Quiz
  Photo Quiz
  Spelling Quiz
  Sentence Flashcards
  Video
  Example Sentences
  Dialogue
  Image-Sentence Match
  Word Order Quiz
  Multiple Choice Quiz
  A or B Quiz
  Fill In

Icon Legend

Icons are color coded by Spanish level:

Green = Beginner
Blue = Intermediate
Orange = Advanced


Black icons are unrelated to Spanish level:

Help
Download
Information







Popular Phrase: fingir conjugation | Rosetta Stone Spanish | Conjugated Verb: empachar - to give an upset stomach [ click for full conjugation ]