Spanish Verb Book Essay, Research Paper

Present Tense

The following section will be the present you are implying that the action is occurring at the present time. For example: Joseph reads the book. The “reads” in the sentence shows that Joseph is in the process of reading the book.

Regular AR Infinitives

acabar (de) to come after

acompa?ar to accompany

admirar to admire

ayudar to help

bailar to dance

bajar to go down

brillar to shine

buscar to look for

caminar to walk

cantar to sing

cenar to have supper

chupar to suck

cocinar to cook

colabarar to collaborate

coleccionar to collect

comenzar to start

comprar to buy

conservar to conserve

contestar to answer

dar to give

dejar to leave

descansar to rest

dibujar to draw

doblar to turn

ense?ar to teach

entrar to enter

escuchar to listen

esquiar to ski

estudiar to study

evitar to avoid

explicar to explain

fascinar to fascinate

formar to farm

ganar to win

gustar to like

hablar to speak

interesar to interest

lavar to wash

limpiar to clean

llegar to arrive

llevar to take

mirar to look at

neccisitar to need

observar to observe

olividar to forget

pagar to pay for

participar to participate

pasar to spend time

patinar to skate

pesear to wish

practicar to practice

preguntar to ask

preparar to prepare

prestar to lend

programar to program

quedar to be located

regresar to spend money

renunciar to renounce

respetar to respect

sacar to take out

tomar to take

trabajar to work

viajar to travel

visitar to visit

Canta muy bien. She sings very well.

Hablo espa?ol, I speak Spansh.

?Poder ayundo tu? Can I help you?

?Te viajar? Do you travel?

viajar – to travel cantar – to sing ayudar – to help hablar – to speak

viajo viajamos canto cantamos ayudo ayudamos hablo hablamos

viajas — cantas — ayudas — hablas —

viaja viajan canta cantan ayuda ayudan habla habla hablan

Regular AR’s are the most common of all verbs, to use them, remove the “ar” ending and insert the appropriate ending on the chart: o for “i ___”, as for “you ___”, a for “he/she ___”, amos for “we ___”, an for “they ___”. You can also use the following chart for the respective endings.

Singlar Plural

o amos 1st Person

as — 2nd Person

a an 3rd Person

Irregular AR’s

dar to give

estar to be

Da el perro Mike. He gives the dog to Mike.

Yo quiero a estar un abogado. I want to be a lawyer o for singular

Ella est? mi amiga. She is my friend.

Yo doy t? este carro. I give you this car.

estar – to be dar – to give

estoy estamos doy damos

estas — das —

esta estan da dan

Irregular AR’s truly have no rule, to use them you must learn the specific way each is conjugated. See the conjugations above.

AR Stem-Changers (e – ie)

cerrar to close

empezar to begin

nevar to show

pensar to think (about)

recomendar to reccomend

Pieso el dinero. I am thinking about the money.

Cierra el libro. He closes the book.

Ellos empiezan a leer. They begin to read.

Yo recomiendo el pollo. I recommend the chicken.

pensar – to think cerrar – to close nevar – to show empezar – to begin

pieso pensamos cierro cerramos nievo nevamos empiezo empezamos

piesas — cierras — nievas — empiezas —

piesa piensan cierra cierran nieva nievan empieza empiezan

The AR stem-changers (e – ie) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last e in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “ar” ending) to an ie, then you remove the “ar” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the e to an ie, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(e – ie) o (e – e) amos 1st Person

(e – ie) as — — 2nd Person

(e – ie) a (e – ie) an 3rd Person

AR Stem-Changers (o – ue)

almorzar to have lunch

costar to cost

encontrar to find

recordar to remember

volar to show

jugar* to play

* jugar is a unique verb, it is treated as the o – ue verbs are, but with a u – ue.

Muestras mi tu trabajar. Show me your work.

Cuesta muchos dinero. It costs much money.

Juego el partido. I play the game.

Encuentran un amigo. They find a friend.

mostrar – to show costar – to cost volar – to show jugar* – to play

muestro mostramos cuesto costamos vuelo volamos juego jugamos

muestras — cuestas — vuelas — juegas —

muestra muestran cuesta cuestan vuela vuelan juega juegan

The AR stem-changers (o – ue) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last o in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “ar” ending) to an ue, then you remove the “ar” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the o to a ue, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(o – ue) o (o – o) amos 1st Person

(o – ue) as — — 2nd Person

(o – ue) a (o – ue) an 3rd Person

Reflexive AR’s

acercarse to approach

acostarse to go to bed

afeitarse to shave

callarse to be quiet

cepillarse to brush

darse cuenta to realize

darse la mano to shake hands

dedicarse to devote oneself to

desayunarse to eat breakfast

despertarse to wake up

encargarse to take charge

lastimarse to hurt oneself

lavarse to wash oneself

levantarse to get up

llamarse to be named

maquillarse to put on makeup

pienarse to comb

preparse to prepare oneself

quedarse to stay

quejarse to complain

refrescarse to cool off

sentarse to to sit down

servirse to prepare for oneself

Yo me lavo las manos. I wash my hands

Yo me cepillarse los dientas. I brush my teeth.

Ellas se miran. They look at each other.

Yo me lavo. I wash myself.

lavarse – to wash (oneself) prepararse – to prepare (oneself)

me lavo nos lavamos me preparo nos preparamos

te lavas — te preparas —

se lava se lavan se prepara se preparamos

levantarse – to get up afeitarse – to shave

me levanto nos levantamos me afeito nos afeitamos

te levantas — te afeitas —

se levanta se levantan se afeita se afeitan

Reflexive verbs reflect the action of the subject back to the subject. For example a person brushes his hair, or a person shaves himself. These reflexive verbs are conjugated the same way as their non-reflexive counterparts except that to show that the action reflects you must place me, te, se, nos, or se depending upon who is the action is being done to. Reflexive verbs can also be used to express an action in which two or more people do the action to each other, for example, Ellas se miran, or they look at each other.

Regular ER Infinitives

aprender to learn

beber to drink

comer to eat

comprender to understand

correr to run

creer to think

deber to have to

leer to read

prometer to promise

responder to answer

vender to sell

comer – to eat vender – to sell

como momemos vendo vendemos

comes — vendes —

come comen vende venden

leer – to read aprender – to learn

leo lemos aprendo aprendemos

lees — aprendes —

Me gusta nadar. I like to swim.

El lee. He is reading.

Yo debo ir. I have to go.

Janet corre. Janet runs.

Regular ER’s are very common verbs, to use them, remove the “er” ending and insert the appropriate ending on the chart: o for “i ___”, es for “you ___”, e for “he/she ___”, emos for “we ___”, en for “they ___”. You can also use the following chart for the respective endings.

Singlar Plural

o emos 1st Person

es — 2nd Person

e en 3rd Person

Irregular ER’s (oddballs)

ser to be

tener to have

Soy inteligente. I am Intelligent.

Tu eres estupido. You are stupid.

Yo tengo un libro. I have a book.

Ellos tienen dinero. They have some money.

ser – to be tener – to have

soy somos tengo tenemos

eres — tienes —

es son tiene tienen

Irregular ER’s (oddballs) really have no pattern at all, each one is different. And each one you must learn on your own.

Irregular ER’s (First Person)

conocer to know

desaparecer to disappear

hacer to do, make

parecer to seem

poner to put, place, set

saber to know

traer to bring

ver to see

Yo conozco esa. I know that.

Pones la mesa. Set the table.

Lo veo. I see it.

Nosotros traemos dinero. We bring money.

conocer – to know hacer – to do, make

conozco conocemos hago hacemos

conoces — haces —

conoce conocen hace hacen

poner – to put, place, set saber – to know

pongo ponemos s? sabemos

pones — sabes —

pone ponen sabe saben

traer – to bring ver – to see

traigo traemos veo vemos

traes — ves —

trae traen ve ven

Irregular ER’s (First Person) follow the same rule regular “er”s except that the first person singular is changed. You must find the way that each is changed.

ER Stem Changers (e – ie)

perder to lose

entender to understand

querer to want

encender to turn on, light up

defender to defend

Yo pierdo mi cabeza. I am losing my head.

El pierde el partido. He is losing the game.

Entiendo el mathematico. I understand the math.

El entiende la palabra. He understands the word.

perder – to lose entender – to understand

pierdo perdemos entiendo entendemos

pierdes — entiendes —

pierde pierden entiende entienden

querer – to want encender – to turn on, light up

quiero queremos enciendo encendemos

quieres — enciendes —

quiere quieren enciende encienden

The ER stem-changers (e – ie) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last e in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “er” ending) to an ie, then you remove the “er” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the e to an ie, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(e – ie) o (e – e) emos 1st Person

(e – ie) es — — 2nd Person

(e – ie) e (e – ie) en 3rd Person

ER Stem changers (o – ue)

poder to be able

volver to return

mover to move

morder to bite

Yo puedo cantar muy bien. I can sing very well.

Ella vuelve aqui. She is returning here.

No mueves. Your not moving.

Los lobos muerden. The wolves bite.

poder – to be able volver – to return

puedo podemos vuelvo volvemos

puedes — vuelves —

puede pueden vuelve vuelven

mover – to move morder – to bite

muevo movemos muerdo mordemos

mueves — muerdes —

mueve mueven muerde muerden

The ER stem-changers (o – ue) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last o in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “er” ending) to an ue, then you remove the “er” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the o to a ue, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(o – ue) o (o – o) amos 1st Person

(o – ue) as — — 2nd Person

(o – ue) a (o – ue) an 3rd Person

Reflexive ER’s

hacerse to become

ponerse to put on

romperse to break

torcerse to twist

Me rompo la pierna. I am breaking my leg.

El se haces un doctor. He is becoming a doctor.

Yo me pongo un calcetin. I am putting on a sock.

Ella se torce el tobillo. She twists her ankle.

romperse – to break hacerse – to become

me rompo nos rompemos me hago nos hacemos

te rompes — te haces —

se rompe se rompen se hace hacen

ponerse – to put on torcerse – to twist

me pongo nos ponemos me torco nos torcemos

te pones — te torces —

se pone se ponen se torce se torcen

Reflexive verbs reflect the action of the subject back to the subject. For example a person brushes his hair, or a person shaves himself. These reflexive verbs are conjugated the same way as their non-reflexive counterparts except that to show that the action reflects you must place me, te, se, nos, or se depending upon who is the action is being done to. Reflexive verbs can also be used to express an action in which two or more people do the action to each other, for example, Ellas se miran, or they look at each other.

Regular IR’s

abrir to open

asistir to attend

decidir to decide

decidir to decide

escribir to write

exigir to demand

existir to exist

recibir to recieve

vivir to live

Yo escribo. I am writing it.

Lo abres. He opens it.

Ella escribe. She is writing.

El abre el libro. He opens the book.

recibir – to receive escribir – to write

recibo recibimos escribo escribimos

recibes — escribes —

recibe reciben escribe escriben

decidir – to decide abrir – to open

decido decidimos abro abrimos

decides — abres —

decide deciden abre abren

Regular IR’s are somewhat common verbs, to use them, remove the “ir” ending and insert the appropriate ending on the chart: o for “i ___”, es for “you ___”, e for “he/she ___”, imos for “we ___”, en for “they ___”. You can also use the following chart for the respective endings.

Singlar Plural

o emos 1st Person

es — 2nd Person

e en 3rd Person

Irregular IR’s (Oddballs)

decir to say, tell

ir to go

o?r to hear

venir to come

Yo digo t?. I am telling you.

Lo oyes. He hears it.

Yo vengo. I am coming.

Vamos. We are going.

decir – to say, tell ir – to go

digo decimos voy vamos

dices — vas —

dice dicen va van

o?r – to hear venir – to come

oigo o?mos vengo venimes

oyes — vienes —

oye oyen viene vienen

Irregular IR’s (oddballs) really have no pattern at all, each one is different. And each one you must learn on your own.

Irregular IR’s (First Person)

conducir to drive

salir to go

traducir to translate

Yo conduzco un carro. I am driving a car

El conduce el autobus. He is driving the bus.

Yo salgo. I am going out.

Nosotros salimos. We are going out.

conducir – to drive salir – to go out traducir – to translate

conduzco conducimos salgo salimos traduzco traducimos

conduces — sales — traduces —

conduce conducen sale salen traduce traducen

Irregular IR’s (First Person) follow the same rule regular “ir”s except that the first person singular is changed. You must find the way that each is changed.

Singular Plural

(none) imos 1st Person

es — 2nd Person

e en 3rd Person

IR Stem Changers (e – ie)

preferir to prefer

sentir to be sorry

mentir to lie

T? mientes. You are lying

Prefiero esa. I prefer that.

Lo siento. I am sorry.

?T? sientes? Are you sorry?

preferir – to prefer sentir – to be sorry

prefiero preferimos siento sentimos

prefieres — sientes —

prefiere prefieren siente sienten

mentir – to lie

miento mentimos

mientes —

miente mienten

The IR stem-changers (e – ie) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last e in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “ir” ending) to an ie, then you remove the “ir” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the e to an ie, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(e – ie) o (e – e) imos 1st Person

(e – ie) es — — 2nd Person

(e – ie) e (e – ie) en 3rd Person

IR Stem Changers (e – i)

pedir to order

repetir to repeat

servir to serve

Pide arroz con pollo. He orders chicken with rice.

Ellos sirven la comida. They are serving the food.

Repites la pregunta, por favor. Repeat the question please.

?Sirves nosotros? Are you serving us?

pedir – to order servir – to serve

pido pedimos sirvo servimos

pides — sirves —

pide piden sirve sirven

repetir – to repeat

repito repitimos

repites —

repite repiten

The IR stem-changers (e – i) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last e in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “ir” ending) to an i, then you remove the “ir” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the e to an i, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(e – i) o (e – e) imos 1st Person

(e – i) es — — 2nd Person

(e – i) e (e – i) en 3rd Person

IR Stem Changers (o – ue)

dormir to sleep

morir to die

El duerme. He is sleeping.

Ellos duermen. They are sleeping.

Mueres! Your dying!

Muero! I am dying!

dormir – to sleep morir – to die

duermo dormimos muero morimos

duermes — mueres —

duerme duermen muere mueren

The IR stem-changers (o – ue) are a type of verb. To conjugate them you simply change the last o in the stem (which means all the parts of the verb but the “ir” ending) to an ue, then you remove the “ir” ending and add the appropriate ending. However there is one exception, in first person plural you do not change the o to a ue, you leave the stem as it is before changing. You can follow the rule below.

Singlar Plural

(o – ue) o (o – o) imos 1st Person

(o – ue) es — — 2nd Person

(o – ue) e (o – ue) en 3rd Person

Reflexive IR’s

convertirse to become

reunirse to get together

servirse to prepare for oneself

Yo me sirvo un pollo. I am preparing myself a chicken.

Nos reunimos algun dia. Lets get together someday.

El se converte un hombe. He’s becoming a man.

Te sirves el pescado. Your preparing yourself some fish.

convertirse – to become reunirse – to get together servirse – to prepare for oneself

me converto nos convertimos me reuno nos reunimos me sirvo nos servimos

te convertes — te reunes — te sirves —

se converte se converten se reune se reunen se sirve se sirven

Reflexive verbs reflect the action of the subject back to the subject. For example a person brushes his hair, or a person shaves himself. These reflexive verbs are conjugated the same way as their non-reflexive counterparts except that to show that the action reflects you must place me, te, se, nos, or se depending upon who is the action is being done to. Reflexive verbs can also be used to express an action in which two or more people do the action to each other, for example, Ellas se miran, or they look at each other.

Imperative Mood (Commands)

Words in imperative mood (more commonly known as commands) are something that orders a person or group of persons to take an action. They are similar to other verbs and are taken from the other verbs. They are not conjugated except for singular, or plural commands. Singular command being one that commands only one person, and a plural command commands a group of people. Reflexive verbs also may be used as commands. There are five irregular commands which do not follow the pattern that is set by the commands before it.

Polite Commands

To congugate a not irregular, polite command.

1. Take the first person congugation of the verb (i.e. cantar – canto)

2. Remove the “o” from the end of the verb.

3. If an AR verb add e to the end, if an ER or IR verb, add a to the end.

4. If the command is plural, add an “n” to the end of the verb.

5. If the command is reflexive add an “se” to the end of the verb, then place an accent mark over the originally stressed vowel.

6. If the command is negative place a “no” before the verb

7. If both negative and reflexive, move the “se” before the verb (as a separate word), also, remove the added accent mark.

8. If the original verb ended with a “CAR”, make the “C” in the new verb a “QU”.

9. If the original verb ended with a “GAR”, make the “G” in the new verb a “GU”.

10. If the original verb ended with a “ZAR”, make the “Z” in the new verb a “C”.

11. You may place an usted (for singular) ustedes (for plural) lafter the verb, but it is not necessary.

1. Locate the verb on the chart below, then use the appropriate form of the verb.

Verb Singular Plural Meaning

dar d? den to give

estar est? est?n to be (temporary)

ir vaya vayan to go

saber sepa sepan to know

ser sea sean to be (permanent)

2. If the command is negative, place a no before the verb.

3. You may place an usted (for singular) ustedes (for plural) lafter the verb, but it is not necessary.

Examples:

Singular (not negative, non reflexive, not irregular)

Cante usted bien. Sing well.

Beba usted la leche. Drink the milk.

Singular (negative, non relexive, not irregular)

No pase usted a la puerta. Don’t go to the door.

No traiga ustedes los libros. Don’t bring the books.

Singular (not negative, relexive, not irregular)

Lev?ntese usted a las ocho. Get up at eight o’clock.

Si si?ntese usted cerca de la mesa. Sit near the table.

Singular (negative, relexive, not irregular)

No se quite usted los guantes. Don’t take off the gloves.

No se lave usted la cara. Don’t wash your face.

Plural (not negative, not reflexive, not irregular)

Hagan ustedes la tarea. Do your homework.

Estudien ustedes la lecci?n. Study your lesson.

Plural (negative, non relexive, not irregular)

No hagan ustedes el trabajo ahora. Don’t do the work now.

No coman ustedes el pan. Don’t eat the bread.

Plural (not negative, relexive, not irregular)

Ac?estense ustedes tarde. Go to bed late.

Ac?stense ustedes en casa. Stay at home.

Plural (negative, relexive, not irregular)

No se ponanse ustedes los zapatoes. Don’t wear your shoes.

No se acuestan ustedes a las diez. Don’t wake up at six.

Mixed (Irregular)

D? usted el libro a Juan. Give John the book.

Est?n ustedes all? a las dos. Be there at two o’clock.

Vaya usted con ellos. Go with them.

Sean ustedes bien por favor. Please be good.

Sepa usted la lecci?n por ma?ana. Know the lession for tomorrow.

Informal Commands

Whenever you give a command to a person that is your friend and you know. You do not need to use the “polite” version of that command most often an informal command is used. These have a completely different form than that of the formal commands.

Using affirmative familiar commands.

When using one of these commands simply follow these steps:

1. First select the verb you are going to use.

2. Take the normal second person conjugate of the verb (i.e. cantar – cantas)

3. Remove the “s” from the end of the verb.

Examples:

Toma t? caf?. Drink coffee.

Vive t? en M?xico. Live in Mexico.

Trae t? el dinero. Bring the money

Oye t? la m?sica. Listen to the music.

Canta t? ahora. Sing now.

Come t? la ensalada. Eat the salad.

Escribe t? la carta. Write the letter.

Empieza a leer. Begin reading.

Vuelve pronto. Come back soon.

Da el dinero a Jos?. Give the money to Jos?.

Using negative familiar commands.

1. First select the verb you are going to use.

2. Take the first person conjugate of that verb.

3. Take the first person congugation of the verb (i.e. cantar – canto)

4. Remove the “o” from the end of the verb.

5. If an AR verb add “e” to the end, if an ER or IR verb, then add “a” to the end.

6. Then place “s” at the end of the word.

Examples:

No mires la televisi?n esta noche. Don’t watch TV tonight.

No aprendas esta lecci?n. Don’t learn the lesson.

No asistas al concierto. Do not attend the concert.

No cier cieres la puerta. Don’t close the door.

No envuelvas el paquete. Wrap the packet.

No pongas el espejo alli. Don’t put the menu there.

No vengas con cosotros. Don’t come with us.

No hagas el favor. Don’t do the favor.

No veias al museo con Robert. Don’t go to the museum with Robert.

No contestas a mi pregunta. Don’t answer my question.

Irregular Familiar Commands

Certain commands are irregular and do not follow the pattern, refer to the chart for them.

Verb Familiar Command

Decir Di

Hacer Haz

Ir Ve

Poner Pon

Salir Sal

Ser S?

Tener Ten

Venir Ven

Examples:

Sal de me casa. Leave my house.

Haz el favor de escuchar. Do me the favor of listening.

Pon la silla aqui, por favor. Set the chair here, please.

Di algo. Say something.

Ven conmigo en seguida. Come with me at once.

S? bueno. Be good.

Ve aqui. Come here.

Ten paciencia. Have patience.

Reflexive Informal Commands

For affirmative reflexive informal commands simply attach “te” to the end, and add an accent mark above the previously stressed syllable.

For negative reflexive informal commands place a “te” in front of the verb (as a separate word), there is no accent to place.

Examples:

No te quites los guantes. Don’t take off the gloves.

No te laves la cara. Don’t wash your face.

No te ponas el pollo. Don’t fix yourself the chicken.

Lev?nteste a las ocho. Get up at eight o’clock.

Si si?nteste cerca de la mesa. Sit near the table.

Maquilleste en la cara. Put make up on your face.

Preterite (Past) Tense

This section will explain how to use all the previously mentioned verbs in the past tense. For example if you want to say I drank the milk, instead of I am drinking the milk. Simply follow the new rules for conjugation with the old verbs.

Regular AR Verbs

Mi lecci?n de piano termin? a las ocho ayer. My piano lesson ended at eight yesterday.

El invierno pasado nev? mucho. Last winter it snowed a lot.

Nosotros admiramos las pinturas en el museo. We admired the pictures in the museum.

?Qui?n compr? el coche? Who bought the car?

prestar – to lend encontrar – to find contestar – to answer pensar – to think

prest? prestamos encontr? encontramos contest? contestamos pens? pensamos

prestaste — encontraste — contestaste — pensaste —

prest? prestaron encontr? encontraron contest? contestaron pens? pensaron

The preterite tense is equivalent to the past tense in English: I ate, she went, we talked, did he work?, we did not speak.. To form the preterite tense AR’s simply remove the “ar” at the end and instead add the following ending depending upon the subject of the verb:

yo ?

t? aste

usted, ?l, ella ?

nosotros amos

ustedes, ellos, ellas aron

Regular ER Verbs

Bebimos vino anoche. We drank wine last night.

Ella no devolvi? los libros a la biblioteca. She did not return the books to the library.

?Qu? vendieron ayer? What did they sell yesterday?

?Que aprendieron ustedes en la clase? What did you learn in class?

romper – to break defender – to defend mover – to move aprender – to learn

romp? rompimos defend? defendimos mov? movimos aprend? aprendimos

rompiste — defendiste — moviste — aprendiste —

rompi? rompieron defendi? defendieron movi? movieron aprendi? aprendieron

The preterite tense is equivalent to the past tense in English: I ate, she went, we talked, did he work?, we did not speak.. To form the preterite tense ER’s simply remove the “er” at the end and instead add the following ending depending upon the subject of the verb:

yo ?

t? iste

usted, ?l, ella i?

nosotros imos

ustedes, ellos, ellas ieron

Regular IR Verbs

?A qu? hora salieron ayer? At what time did they leave yesterday?

?l dividi? el pastel en cuatro partes. He divided the pie into parts.

Escribieron una carta anoche. They wrote a letter to their relatives.

Prometiste a traer los aiertas. You promised to bring the tapes.

recibir – to recieve escribir – to write describir – to describe abrir – to open

recib? recibimos escrib? escribimos describ? describimos abr? abrimos

recibiste — escribiste — describiste — abriste —

recibi? recibieron escribi? escribieron describi? describieron abri? abrieron

The preterite tense is equivalent to the past tense in English: I ate, she went, we talked, did he work?, we did not speak.. To form the preterite tense IR’s simply remove the “ir” at the end and instead add the following ending depending upon the subject of the verb:

yo ?

t? iste

usted, ?l, ella i?

nosotros imos

ustedes, ellos, ellas ieron

Irregular Verbs in Preterite Tense

There are several groups of irregular verbs in past tense. Each type is different and unrelated. Each are conjugated differently than the previously mentioned way, and some are very different.

Oddballs

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They form

dar – to give di diste dio dimos dieron

ir* – to go fui fuiste fue fuimos fueron

ser* – to go fui fuiste fue Fuimos fueron

*Though ir and ser share the same conjugation they have different meanings you must use context clues to discover the meanings

Yo di el coche. I gave him the car.

Ella fue a la tienda. She went to the store

Nosotros fuimos hombres. We were friends.

Ellos fueron casa. They went home.

Diste tu el libro a ella? Did you give the book to her?

This group has no real pattern and is very odd.

The U-Stem Irregulars

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They form

andar – to walk anduve auviste anduvo anduvimos anduvieron

caber – to fit cupe cupistestuvo cupo cupimos cupieron

estar – to be estuve estuviste estuvo estuvimos estuvieron

poder – to be able pude pudiste pudo pudimos pudieron

saber – to know supe supiste supo supimos supieron

poner – to put puse pusiste puso pusimos pusieron

tener – to have tuve tuviste tuvo tuvimos tuvieron

Yo anduve a escuela. I walked to school.

Ella cupo en buena. She fit in well.

Nosotros tuvimos un casa. We had a house.

Ella estuvo un profesora. She was a teacher.

Ellos pudieron a nadar. They were able to swim.

The J-Stem Irregulars

Verb – Meaninge I Form You Form He Form We Form They form

conducir-to drive conduje condujiste condujo condujimos condujeron

decir – to say dije dijiste dijo dijimos dijeron

traer – to bring traje trajiste trajo trajinos trajeron

Yo conduje casa. I drove home.

Dijiste ayer. You told me yesterday.

Ella trajo el libro. She brought the book.

Ellos dijeron ayer. They said yesterday.

Yo traje el coche. I brought the car.

The I-Stem Irregulars

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They form

hacer to do,make hice hiciste hizo* hicimos hicieron

querer – to want quise quisiste quiso quisimos quisieron

venir – to come vine viniste vino vinimos vinieron

*This instance is irregular more than the other irregulars.

Yo hice un nota buena. I made a good grade.

Ella quiso un gata. She wants a cat.

Nosotros vinimos casa. We came home.

Ellos quisieron la comida. They want food.

Ella hizo la tarjeta. She made the card

The Y-Stem Irregulars

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They form

caer – to fall ca? ca?ste cay? ca?mos cayeron

creer – to believe cre? cre?ste crey? cre?mos creyeron

o?r – to hear o? o?ste oy? o?mos oyeron

leer – to read le? le?ste ley? le?mos leyeron

Ella cay? ayer. She fell yesterday.

Yo o? t?. I heard you.

Le?mos el libro. We read the book.

Creyeron me. They believe me.

Yo o? las noticas. I heard the news.

Imperfect tense

In Spanish something is considered immperfect tense if it is equivalent to the english used to or the like, an action that was repeated.

Imperfect “AR” Verbs

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They Form

estar – to be estaba estabas estaba est?bamos estaban

ayudar – to help ayudaba ayudabas ayudaba ayud?bamos ayudaban

andar – to walk andaba andabas andaba and?bamos andaban

preguntar – to ask preguntaba preguntabas preguntaba pregunt?bamos preguntaban

Yo estudiaba mis lecciones todos los los dias. I studied my lessons every day.

Mi familia viajaban durante el verano. My family used to travel during the summer.

Tu estabas mi amigo. You used to be my friend.

El ayudabame muchos. He used to help me a lot.

Nosotros and?bamos a la tienda. We used to walk to the store.

To form imperfect “AR” verbs you simply remove the “AR” at the end of the verb and insert the following depending upon the subject needed.

yo aba

t? abas

usted, ?l, ella aba

nosotros ?bamos

ustedes, ellos, ellas aban

Imperfect “ER” Verbs

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They Form

vender – to sell vend?a vend?as vend?a vend?amos vend?an

comer – to eat com?a com?as com?a com?amos com?an

poner – to put pon?a Pon?as pon?a pon?amos pon?an

hacer – to make hac?a Hac?as hac?a hac?amos hac?an

Yo vend?a libros en la tienda. I used to sell books in the store.

Nosotros com?amos pollo todos las dias. We used to eat chicken every day.

El pon?a la mesa. He used to set the table.

Ellos beb?an vino. They used to drink wine.

Yo le?a los libros. I used to read books.

To form imperfect “ER” verbs you simply remove the “ER” at the end of the verb and insert the following depending upon the subject needed.

yo ?a

t? ?as

usted, ?l, ella ?a

nosotros ?amos

ustedes, ellos, ellas ?an

Imperfect “IR” Verbs

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They Form

dormir – to sleep dorm?a dorm?as dorm?a dorm?amos dorm?an

sentir – to feel sent?a sent?as sent?a sent?amos sent?an

partir – to leave part?a part?as part?a part?amos part?an

salir – to go out sal?a sal?as sal?a sal?amos sal?an

Yo me dorm?a temprano. I used to go to sleep early.

El sent?a enjoada a tu. I used to feel mad at you.

Nosotros sent?amos tarde. We used to leave late.

Ellos sal?an en domingo. They used to go out on Sunday.

Yo sal?a siempre todos las dias. I used to go out almost every day.

To form imperfect “IR” verbs you simply remove the “IR” at the end of the verb and insert the following depending upon the subject needed.

yo ?a

t? ?as

usted, ?l, ella ?a

nosotros ?amos

ustedes, ellos, ellas ?an

Irregular Imperfect Verbs

Verb – Meaning I Form You Form He Form We Form They Form

ser – to be era eras era eramos eran

ir – to go iba ibas iba ibamos iban

ver – to see ve?a ve?as ve?a ve?amos ve?an

Nosotros ibamos a la tienda. We used to go to the store.

Yo ve?a un doctor. I used to see a doctor.

Ellos eramos loco. They used to be crazy.

El era un estudiante. He used to be a student.

Tu ibas a casa temprano. You used to go home early

These three verbs are the only verbs that are irregular in this tense, simply follow the conjugations above.

Bibliography

None, sorry.