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Conquer the Irregular Preterite
The Spanish preterite tense has several groups of irregular verbs that follow specific patterns. Instead of memorizing each verb individually, learn these stem-changing groups to master the irregular preterite efficiently.
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UV Stem Verbs
These verbs have UV in their preterite stem:
UV Stem Conjugation Pattern
| Verb | Yo Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| estar | estuve | Yo estuve aquà ayer. (I was here yesterday.) |
| tener | tuve | Yo tuve un problema. (I had a problem.) |
| andar | anduve | Yo anduve por el parque. (I walked through the park.) |
| poder | pude | Yo pude terminarlo. (I was able to finish it.) |
U Stem Verbs
These verbs have U in their preterite stem:
U Stem Conjugation Pattern
| Verb | Yo Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| poner | puse | Yo puse la mesa. (I set the table.) |
| saber | supe | Yo supe la verdad. (I found out the truth.) |
| caber | cupe | Yo cupe en el coche. (I fit in the car.) |
I Stem Verbs
These verbs have I in their preterite stem:
I Stem Conjugation Pattern
| Verb | Yo Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hacer | hice | Yo hice la cena. (I made dinner.) |
| venir | vine | Yo vine temprano. (I came early.) |
| querer | quise | Yo quise ayudarte. (I wanted to help you.) |
J Stem Verbs
These verbs have J in their preterite stem and drop the “i” in third person:
J Stem Conjugation Pattern
| Verb | Yo Form | Él Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| decir | dije | dijo | Él dijo la verdad. (He told the truth.) |
| traer | traje | trajo | Ella trajo el pastel. (She brought the cake.) |
| conducir | conduje | condujo | Yo conduje a casa. (I drove home.) |
Special Cases
Identical Forms: Ir and Ser
| Pronoun | Ir/Ser Form | Example with Ir | Example with Ser |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | Fui al cine. (I went to the movies.) | Fui estudiante. (I was a student.) |
| tú | fuiste | Fuiste a España. (You went to Spain.) | Fuiste amable. (You were kind.) |
Other Important Irregulars
- Dar: di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron
- Ver: vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis, vieron
Practice Exercises
Conjugate in preterite tense:
- yo/estar → ______
- él/hacer → ______
- nosotros/venir → ______
- tú/decir → ______
- ellos/tener → ______
Ready to Master Irregular Preterite?
You’ve learned the patterns and rules – now it’s time to practice!
TAKE THE IRREGULAR PRETERITE QUIZ
*Test your knowledge with our interactive TWO LEVEL 25-QUESTION quiz covering all preterite patterns.*
[LEARN REGULAR PRETERITE ENDINGS]
Master the regular preterite patterns first for comparison.
[MASTER THE IMPERFECT TENSE IN SPANISH]
[RETURN TO IRREGULAR VERBS MAIN HUB]
Practice other essential irregular verb topics.
[USE OUR CONJUGATION TOOL]
Practice any verb with our interactive conjugation tool available on every page.
