Spanish Grammar: Transcript & Lesson

The following group of -ir verbs undergo the same spelling change in the preterite. The e in the stem, that is, the front part of the infinitive which precedes the ending –ir, changes into i in the third person singular and the third person plural of the preterite. In all the other persons, the stem remains unchanged. Pay careful attention at their conjugations. Notice the parts that change in the stem (in red), the parts that stay regular in the stem (in blue), and the endings common to all –ir verbs in the preterite (in black). Also, notice the stressed vowel “í” in the first person singular, and the stressed vowel “ó” in third person singular.

Spelling change: e  —>  i 

me		divertí		vestí		seguí
te		divertiste		vestiste		seguiste
se		divirtió		vistió		siguió
nos		divertimos		vestimos		seguimos
os		divertisteis		vestisteis		seguisteis
se		divirtieron		vistieron		siguieron

Nuestros amigos españoles se divirtieron mucho en Irlanda el verano pasado.
Our Spanish friends had a lot of fun in Ireland last summer.

Se vistieron elegantemente para la fiesta de graduación de su hijo.
They dressed elegantly for her son’s graduation party.

Siguió ciegamente los pasos de su predecesor.
He followd blindly the steps of his predecessor.


These are some other useful verbs that follow the above conjugation pattern:
conseguir - (to get, to obtain; to achieve)
pedir - (to ask for; to order)
repetir - (to repeat)
servir - (to serve)
sentir - (to feel)
mentir - (to lie)
convertir - (to turn into)
convertirse - (to become)
invertir - (to invest)

¿Cómo consiguieron su objetivo?
How did they achieved their goal?

Pidieron pollo asado y ensalada.
They orderes roasted chicken and salad.

Repitió la pregunta dos veces.
He repeated his question twice.

En la boda sirvieron champán francés.
French champagne was served in the wedding.

Sintió una sensación de alivio.
She had a feeling of relief.

Durante la campaña electoral, ambos candidatos mintieron descaradamente.
During the election campaign, both candidates lied through their teeth.

Ella convirtió el sueño de su vida en realidad.
She turned her lifetime dream into a reality.

De la noche a la mañana Ali se convirtió en el nuevo ídolo de la música popular.
Overnight, Ali became the new idol of pop music.

Los padres de Sara invirtieron todos sus ahorros en la educación de su hija.
Sarah’s parents invested all their savings in his daughter’s education.

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