When it comes to the Preterite Tense, it can be quite surprising to learn that many verbs that are irregular in the Present Tense, are actually regular in the Preterite Tense. However, one set of verbs that is also irregular in the Preterite Tense is the -IR ending group of verbs that have stem changes in the Present Tense. These do remain irregular in the Preterite Tense, however, it is in a different way.
-IR Irregular verbs in the Preterite Tense:
As mentioned, -ir verbs that change their stem in the Present Tense DO change in the Preterite Tense, but in a different way!
They change the e to i and the o to u in the third person, singular and plural.
Let’s start with e to i in the third person:
| Present | Preterite |
|---|---|
| preferir | preferir |
| prefiero | preferí |
| prefieres | preferiste |
| prefiere | prefirió |
| preferimos | preferimos |
| preferís | preferisteis |
| prefieren | prefirieron |
For example:
- Mi marido prefirió quedarse en casa anoche. (My husband preferred to stay home lastnight.)
- Nosotros preferimos los otros. (We preferred the other ones.)
- Los niños prefirieron el coche azul. (The children preferred the blue car.)
- ¿Preferiste el grande o el pequeño? (Did you prefer the big one or the small one?)
There are lots of verbs on this list of irregulars so don’t try to learn them all. Learn a few of the most widely used verbs and you’ll soon spot when you need to apply the rule to new verbs.
Here are a few useful ones to keep in mind:
- preferir (to prefer)
- convertir (to convert)
- transferir (to transfer)
- divertir (to entertain/amuse)
Now, let’s look at o to u in the third person:
| Present | Preterite |
|---|---|
| dormir | dormir |
| duermo | dormí |
| duermes | dormiste |
| duerme | durmió |
| dormimos | dormimos |
| dormís | dormisteis |
| duermen | durmieron |
For example:
- El bebé durmió toda la noche. (The baby slept all night.)
- Yo dormí solo cinco horas anoche. (I slept for only 5 hours last night.)
- Los turistas durmieron en el autocar. (The tourists slept on the coach.)
- Nosotros dormimos en el sofa. (We slept on the sofa.)
For this particular type of irregular, you’ll find that you’ll only have to remember a few verbs because there are not many.
Here are your high use verbs:
- dormir (to sleep)
- morir (to die)
- premorir (to predecease)
Don’t get tripped up!
Many people forget this group of irregular verbs in the preterite tense because the irregularly falls in an unfamiliar place (just the 3rd person singular and plural, not in a boot or 123,6 formation). Therefore, it is quite typical to make the mistake and write ‘él preferió’ or ‘ellos morieron’.
If you have enough practice you’ll soon get into the hang of remembering this spelling change. Have a go at this activity:
Remember…
-AR and -ER verbs that change their stem in the Present tense do not automatically change in the Preterite Tense. Most are conjugated just like other regular Preterite verbs.
| Present | Preterite |
|---|---|
| entender | entender |
| entiendo | entendí |
| entiendes | entendiste |
| entiende | entendió |
| entendemos | entendimos |
| entendéis | entendisteis |
| entienden | entendieron |
| Present | Preterite |
|---|---|
| cerrar | cerrar |
| cierro | cerré |
| cierras | cerraste |
| cierra | cerró |
| cerramos | cerramos |
| cerráis | cerrasteis |
| cierran | cerraron |
As you can see, the fact that some irregular -AR and -ER ending verbs are stem changing verbs in the Present Tense has no bearing on their formation in the Preterite Tense.
Don’t be fooled…
It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to get an -AR or -ER ending verb that is both irregular in the Present Tense and in the Preterite. For example, TENER is a stem changing verb in the Present and in the Preterite.
However, it does means that there is no rule to make the an -AR or -ER ending verb irregular in the Preterite Tense, just because it is irregular in the Present Tense.
Which, if you remember is exactly the opposite of what happens with -IR verbs that have stem changes in the present tense… they DO have a stem change in the Preterite Tense, but it’s different… They change the e to i and the o to u in the third person, singular and plural.
A final thought…
It can seem like quite a lot to take in, when trying to remember which verbs are irregular in the Preterite Tense and how they change. My advice is to take it steady and just work on one group at a time. Get really familiar with that group before moving onto the next.
Also, don’t forget to go back and revise the rules and practise again, even when you’ve moved onto the next group…
Basically, treat learning the irregular verbs as a marathon and not a sprint.
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