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Irregular Preterite Verbs by Sandra Rosenstiel

Before we go any further, let's review some more verbs that have irregular conjugations in the preterite. You already learned a number of completely irregular preterite verbs in Chapter 9: ir, ser, ver, estar, tener, and hacer. You also learned that a few verbs have minor stem changes in the third-person of the preterite: dormir > durmió, durmieron and vestir > vistió, vistieron. Here are a few more verbs that change their stem vowel in the preterite:

e > i

  • divertirse (to enjoy oneself): se divirtió, se divirtieron

  • pedir (to request, ask for): pidió, pidieron

  • preferir (to prefer): prefirió, prefirieron

  • impedir (to prevent): impidió, impidieron

  • seguir (to follow): siguió, siguieron

  • conseguir (to get, acquire, achieve): consiguió, consiguieron

  • sugerir (to suggest): sugirió, sugirieron

    • Irregular Preterite 1

    TRACK 69

    Now, let's practice a bit. Listen to the questions with irregular e > i preterite verbs on Track 69. Answer each question using the same verb. You can find the transcript and sample answers in Appendix D.

    Additionally, -er and -ir verbs whose stems end in a vowel like caer, leer, and oír have slight spelling changes in the third person preterite conjugations to maintain the correct pronunciation of their vowel sounds. These verbs substitute a y for the i in the third-person preterite endings.

  • caer, caerse (to fall, fall down): (se) cayó, (se) cayeron

  • leer (to read): leyó, leyeron

  • oír (to hear): oyó, oyeron

    • Remember that this change only occurs in verbs that end in -er and -ir, so guiar doesn't.

    Remember that there are shifts in meaning with the verbs poder, querer, and saber in the preterite. Pude ver toda la ciudad means “I was able (managed) to see the entire city.” Quise ir a la Feria pero no conseguí boletos means “I wanted [tried] to go to the fair but couldn't get tickets.” Supe que el museo estaba cerrado el domingo means “I found out/learned that the museum was closed on Sunday.”

    Other verbs present significantly more irregular changes. You saw in Chapter 9 that the stem of hacer changes to hic- in the preterite. The stem vowels of querer and venir also change to i in the preterite, and these verbs have the same irregular unstressed first- and third-person singular endings as hacer:

  • querer: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisistéis, quisieron

  • venir: vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinistéis, vinieron

    • You also remember that estar and tener acquire a u in the preterite:estuv- and tuv-. The verbs poder, poner, and saber also change to u. Poner and saber have an additional spelling change, and all three verbs have unstressed first- and third-person singular endings.

  • poder: pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudistéis, pudieron

  • poner: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusistéis, pusieron

  • saber: supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supistéis, supieron

    • Irregular Preterite 2

    TRACK 70

    Answer the questions on Track 70 using irregular preterite verbs. Then check your work in Appendix D where you'll find a complete transcript as well as sample answers.

    Another category of irregular verbs in the preterite is formed by decir, traer, and all verbs ending in -ducir like conducir and traducir. Look at the changes these verbs undergo:

    decir (to say): dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijistéis, dijeron traer (to bring): traje, trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajistéis, trajeron conducir (to drive, conduct, lead): conduje, condujiste, condujimos, condujistéis, condujeron

    Remember that, unlike regular verbs in the preterite, irregular verbs in the preterite are not stressed — and do not have an accent — on the last syllable of the first- and third-person singular conjugations.

    Practice with Irregular Preterite

    Let's practice the irregular preterite by translating the following sentences into Spanish. You can check your work with the model answers in Appendix D.

    • Juan asked me for the car keys and drove to Granada.

    • Marta and Elena didn't hear the explanation, but they read their guidebook.

    • I don't know where I put my purse.

    • The concierge suggested a flamenco club and the friends got tickets for that night.

    • I didn't bring a dress, but your friend gave me a pretty skirt.

    Practice makes perfect, and that is certainly the key to mastering the regular and irregular preterite verb conjugations. Keep a running list of what you and your friends and family did during each day for about a week and you'll internalize many of these forms.

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