How to Form the Preterite in Spanish
The preterite is probably the most difficult verb conjugation to deal with in
Spanish. Learning how to conjugate verbs correctly in the preterite is mostly a matter of
memorization and practice. The following is a quick reference guide designed to help
you learn and study the formation of the preterite in a simple and organized manner.
I. COMPLETELY REGULAR VERBS – (JUST ADD ENDINGS):
Most verbs are completely regular in the preterite. In order to conjugate them
correctly, all you have to do is simply add the correct ending onto the stem. Observe the
following regular verb endings for the preterite. Notice that –er verbs and –ir verbs have
the same set of endings. Also, note that the nosotros forms in the preterite are identical to
those in the present tense for –ar and –ir verbs. Any potential confusion is cleared up
through the context in which the forms are used.
–ar verb endings
yo
tú
él, ella,
Ud.
-é
-aste
-ó
-er and –ir verb endings
nosotros -amos
vosotros -asteis
ellos, ellas, -aron
Uds.
yo
tú
él, ella,
Ud.
-í
-iste
-ió
nosotros
vosotros
ellos, ellas,
Uds.
-imos
-isteis
-ieron
Here are examples of a regular –ar verb, -er verb and –ir verb conjugated in the preterite:
hablar
hablé
hablamos
hablaste hablasteis
habló
hablaron
comer
comí
comimos
comiste comisteis
comió
comieron
vivir
viví
vivimos
viviste vivisteis
vivió
vivieron
Examples of other verbs that are conjugated the exact same way are: bailar,
desear, cantar, escuchar, estudiar, necesitar, trabajar, comprar, beber, aprender,
vender, comprender, escribir, abrir, asistir, recibir, etc.
¡OJO!: The verb ver is regular in the preterite, but none of its forms have a written
accent mark.
ver
vi
viste
vio
vimos
visteis
vieron
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II. REGULAR VERBS THAT HAVE SPELLING CHANGES:
Some verbs in the preterite have regular endings, but they have spelling changes
in one or more forms.
SPELLING CHANGES FOR “YO” FORMS OF REGULAR -AR VERBS
Verbs that end in –car, -gar, and –zar in the infinitive have a spelling change in
the yo form in the preterite (which has the –é ending) in order to accurately represent the
way they are pronounced and to conform to spelling rules. These forms are not irregular;
only the spelling is adjusted, and it only applies to the yo form. The other 5 forms do not
have this spelling change. Examples of verbs that have these spelling changes are jugar,
llegar, pagar, buscar, sacar, aparcar, tocar, empezar, comenzar, almorzar, organizar,
etc.
Type of verb
spelling change
verbs ending in –car
c  qu
tocar (c  qu)
toqué
tocaste
tocó
tocamos
tocasteis
tocaron
verbs ending in –gar
g  gu
verbs ending in –zar
zc
llegar (g  gu)
llegué
llegaste
llegó
llegamos
llegasteis
llegaron
cruzar (z  c)
crucé
cruzaste
cruzó
cruzamos
cruzasteis
cruzaron
SPELLING CHANGES FOR REGULAR VERBS ENDING IN –EER, -AER,
-OER AND OÍR:
When the infinitive form of a verb ends in –eer, -aer, –oer or -oír the unstressed
–i- between the two vowels in the 3rd person forms (él, ella, Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.)
becomes a –y- in the preterite. For verbs like these, the –i- in the other 4 preterite forms
(yo, tú, nosotros, vosotros) is written with an accent mark.
creer
leer
leí
leímos
leíste leísteis
leyó leyeron
poseer
poseí
poseíste
poseyó
poseímos
poseísteis
poseyeron
creí
creíste
creyó
caer
creímos
creísteis
creyeron
caí
caíste
cayó
oír
oí
oíste
oyó
oímos
oísteis
oyeron
caímos
caísteis
cayeron
roer
roí
roíste
royó
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roímos
roísteis
royeron
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¡OJO!: The verb traer does not follow this pattern. It is irregular in the preterite and
thus conjugated completely differently. (Read on.)
SPELLING CHANGE FOR VERBS ENDING IN –UIR:
For verbs whose infinitive forms end in –uir, the unstressed –i- between the two
vowels in the 3rd person forms (él, ella, Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.) also becomes a –y- in the
preterite. However, only the yo form has an accent mark on the –i-. Examples of verbs
ending in –uir are construir, destruir, contribuir, distribuir, huir, fluir influir, incluir, etc.
influir
construir
construí
construiste
construyó
construimos
construisteis
construyeron
influí
influiste
influyó
huir
influimos
influisteis
influyeron
huí
huiste
huyó
huimos
huisteis
huyeron
SPELLING CHANGES FOR VERBS ENDING IN –ÑIR AND -LLIR:
For verbs whose infinitive forms end in –ñir or –llir, the –i- in the endings of the 3rd
person forms (él, ella, Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.) is dropped in the preterite. Examples of
verbs ending in –ñir are gruñir (to growl), plañir (to mourn), teñir (e i) (to dye) bruñir
(to polish), ceñir (e i) (to cling), reñir (e  i) (to scold, to quarrel), etc. Examples of
verbs ending in –llir are tullir (to cripple, maim), bullir (to boil), zambullirse (to dive,
plunge), escabullirse (to slip away, escape), etc.
gruñir
gruñí
gruñiste
gruñó
gruñimos
gruñisteis
gruñeron
plañir
plañí
plañiste
plañó
plañimos
plañisteis
plañeron
bullir
bullí
bulliste
bulló
bullimos
bullisteis
bulleron
III. STEM-CHANGING VERBS IN THE PRETERITE:
-AR AND –ER VERBS: In the preterite, -AR verbs and –ER verbs NEVER HAVE A
STEM CHANGE in any of their forms!
pensar
(present tense e  ie)
(preterite: no change)
pensé
pensaste
pensó
pensamos
pensasteis
pensaron
volver
(present tense o  ue)
(preterite: no change)
volví
volviste
volvió
volvimos
volvisteis
volvieron
jugar
(present tense u  ue)
(preterite: no change)
jugué
jugaste
jugó
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jugamos
jugasteis
jugaron
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Since –ar and –er verbs NEVER have a stem-change in the preterite, the
following verbs NEVER have a stem change in the preterite: empezar, entender, pensar,
perder, almorzar, cerrar, comenzar, despertarse, nevar, llover, recomendar, sentarse,
acostarse, contar, encontrar, costar, doler, mostrar, probar, resolver, volar, etc.
-IR VERBS:
The only type of verbs that have a stem change in the preterite are –ir verbs that
have a stem change in the present tense. In the present tense, there are 3 possible types of
stem-changes that verbs ending in –ir have. These are: e  i, e  ie, o  ue. To
refresh your memory, here are examples of -ir verbs, conjugated in the present tense, that
have each of these types of stem-changes.
Present tense forms of stem-changing verbs ending in –ir:
pedir
(present e  i)
pido pedimos
pides pedís
pide piden
divertirse
(present e  ie)
dormir
(present o  ue)
me divierto nos divertimos
te diviertes os divertís
se divierte se divierten
duermo
duermes
duerme
dormimos
dormís
duermen
In the present tense, stem-changing verbs have a stem-change in all forms except
the nosotros and vosotros forms. When a line is drawn around all of the forms with a
stem change, the shape resembles a boot. Thus, verbs like these are sometimes called
“boot verbs” because of their conjugation in the present tense.
Verbs ending in –ir that have a stem change in the present tense also have one in
the preterite, but it is a different type of stem change. –Ir verbs that have an e  i (like
pedir) or an e  ie stem change (like divertirse) in the present tense will have an e  i
stem change in the preterite. Those that have an o  ue stem change in the present tense
(like dormir) will have an o  u stem change in the preterite. The stem change in the
preterite ONLY applies to the 3rd person forms (él, ella, Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.). The
preterite endings for these verbs are always regular.
Stem changes for stem-changing verbs ending in –ir:
If an –ir verb has this type of stem change
the in the present tense…
e  i and e  ie
(in all forms except nosotros and vosotros)
o  ue (in all forms except nosotros and
vosotros)
It will have this type of stem change in
preterite.
e  i (in only the third person forms: él, ella,
Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.)
o  u (in only the third person forms: él,
ella, Ud. / ellos, ellas, Uds.)
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Preterite forms of stem-changing verbs ending in –ir:
pedir
(preterite e  i)
pedí
pedimos
pediste pedisteis
pidieron
pidió
divertirse
(preterite e  i)
me divertí
te divertiste
se divirtió
nos divertimos
os divertisteis
se divirtieron
dormir
(preterite o  u)
dormí
dormimos
dormiste dormisteis
durmió
durmieron
Verbs that have this type of stem change in the preterite are sometimes called
“sandal verbs,” because when a line is drawn around the forms with a stem change, its
shape resembles a flat type of footwear as opposed to a “boot.”
¡OJO!: If the textbook you are using is Puntos de Partida or ¿Qué tal?, you may have
noticed letters and commas in parentheses that are listed next to stem-changing verbs that
end in –ir. Here are a few examples:
sugerir (ie, i) = present tense: e  ie, preterite: e  i
servir (i, i)
= present tense: e  i, preterite: e  i
morir (ue, u) = present tense: o  ue, preterite: o  u
The first letter or pair of letters indicates the result of the present tense stem
change. For sugerir, the ie indicates that the e changes to ie in the present tense, or that it
is an e  ie stem changing verb in the present tense. For servir, the first i shows that the
e changes to i in the present tense, or that it is an e  i stem-changing verb in the present
tense. For morir, the ue indicates that the o changes to ue in the present tense, or that it is
an o  ue stem-changing verb.
The second letter (after the comma) indicates the result of the preterite stem
change. For sugerir and servir, the i shows that there is an e  i stem change in the
preterite. For morir, the u, indicates that there is an o  u stem change in the preterite.
When stem-changing verbs that end in –ar and –er are listed, there is only one set of
letters in parentheses, which is the result of their present tense stem change. Since –ar
and –er verbs have no stem change in the preterite, there is none listed.
pensar (ie) = present tense e  ie (no stem change in preterite)
acostarse (ue) = present tense o  ue (no stem change in preterite)
¡OJO!: Remember that if a stem-changing verb of any kind has more than one vowel
that looks like it could change (o, or e), the second one is always the one that changes.
preferir, comenzar, despedirse, etc.
Preterite forms of reír and sonreír:
These two verbs carry regular endings in the present tense and in the preterite, but
they have an e  i stem change in both conjugations. Do not let the fact that the e is at
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the end of the stem of the verb confuse you. Both verbs are conjugated in the exact same
way. The present tense and preterite forms of reír are shown below.
reír
present tense
(e  i)
río
ríes
ríe
preterite
(e  i)
reímos
reís
ríen
reí
reíste
rió
reímos
reísteis
rieron
In the forms in which the –i- is stressed, it has an accent mark to show that it and
the vowel it is next to are pronounced as 2 separate vowels instead of as a diphthong
(when 2 vowels combine to form one vowel sound). In the 3rd person plural form (ellos,
ellas, Uds.) in the preterite, the –i- at the end of the stem (that changed from e  i) and
the –i- at the beginning of the regular preterite ending (-ieron) merge together and thus
only one –i- is written instead of two together (which never happens anyway).
IV. VERBS THAT ARE IRREGULAR IN THE PRETERITE:
Some verbs in the preterite have special irregular stems and must take a special
set of endings. You simply must remember which verbs have irregular stems in the
preterite, how the stems are spelled and the set of endings all of these verbs take. This is
easier than you may think, for there is regularity to their irregularity. Here are some
examples of such verbs in the preterite.
querer
stem = quis-
estar
stem = estuvestuve
estuvimos
estuviste estuvisteis
estuvo
estuvieron
quise
quisiste
quiso
quisimos
quisisteis
quisieron
venir
stem = vinvine
viniste
vino
vinimos
vinisteis
vinieron
All verbs that have an irregular stem in the preterite all have the same set of
endings, and none of them have accent marks.
preterite endings for verbs with irregular stems
yo
tú
él, ella,
Ud.
-e
-iste
-o
nosotros
vosotros
ellos, ellas,
Uds.
-imos
-isteis
-ieron
Memorizing which verbs have an irregular stem in the preterite and how the stem
is spelled can be made easier by putting them into different categories. Here is a list of
these types of verbs and their irregular preterite stems.
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irregular preterite stem
contains a –uestar --- estuvtener --- tuvandar --- anduvpoder --- pudponer --- pussaber --- suphaber --- hubcaber --- cup-
irregular preterite stem
contains an –ivenir --- vinquerer --- quishacer --- hic-
irregular preterite stem
ends in –jdecir --- dijtraer --- trajconducir --- condujproducir --- produjtraducir --- tradujand any other verb ending
in -ucir
¡OJO!: The verb hacer in the preterite has a spelling change in the 3rd person singular
(él, ella, Ud.) form, in which the c changes to a z, making the form hizo.
¡OJO!: For verbs whose preterite stem ends in –j-, the –i- of the 3rd person plural ending
in the preterite is omitted (-eron).
hacer
stem = hichice
hiciste
hizo
hicimos
hicisteis
hicieron
decir
stem = dijdije
dijiste
dijo
dijimos
dijisteis
dijeron
traer
stem = trajtraje
trajiste
trajo
trajimos
trajisteis
trajeron
¡OJO!: The preterite form of hay (there is, there are) is hubo (there was, there were).
Hay and its preterite form hubo are both derived from the verb haber, which you will
learn a lot more about as you continue to study Spanish.
V. THE VERBS DAR, SER AND IR IN THE PRETERITE:
The verbs dar, ser and ir are completely irregular in the preterite. Dar, though it
is an –ar verb, is conjugated like an –ir verb in the preterite with no accent marks. Ser
and ir are conjugated exactly identically in the preterite. Any potential confusion this
may cause is cleared up though the context in which the two verbs are used.
ir / ser
dar
di
diste
dio
dimos
disteis
dieron
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fuisteis
fueron
¡OJO!: To keep yourself from getting the ir / ser forms fui and fue confused, it may help
to remember that fui, the one ending in –i-, means “I went” or “I was.”
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