Navigating the preterite tense (past tense) in Spanish can be tricky, especially with verbs ending in -UIR. But fear not! This guide breaks down the specific spelling change these verbs undergo, making it easy for you to express completed actions in the past.
Key Points to Remember
- Spelling Change:
- Add ‘y’ before the ending in the third person singular and plural forms.
- This change helps maintain the correct sound and syllable stress.
- Affected Forms:
- Third person singular (él/ella/usted)
- Third person plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes)
- Usage:
- Expresses completed actions in the past.
Conjugation Pattern with ‘construir’ (to build)
| Subject | Preterite Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | construí |
| Tú | construiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | construyó (note the accent) |
| Nosotros | construimos |
| Vosotros | construisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | construyeron |
Common -UIR Verbs You’ll Encounter
- Construir (to build)
- Destruir (to destroy)
- Incluir (to include)
- Influir (to influence)
- Contribuir (to contribute)
- Sustituir (to substitute)
- Huir (to flee)
- Concluir (to conclude)
- Distribuir (to distribute)
- Excluir (to exclude)
Examples in Context
- “Ellos construyeron una casa nueva el año pasado.” (They built a new house last year.)
- “El incendio destruyó gran parte del bosque.” (The fire destroyed a large part of the forest.)
- “La profesora incluyó un capítulo extra en el examen.” (The teacher included an extra chapter in the exam.)
Important Notes:
- Regular Endings: Despite the spelling change, -UIR verbs still use regular preterite endings for all other forms.
- Accent Marks: The third person singular form requires an accent mark on the final ‘o’ to maintain the stress on the last syllable.
- Other Tenses: This spelling change is exclusive to the preterite tense.
- Exception: The verb ‘argüir’ (to argue) has a slight variation: argüí, argüiste, arguyó, argüimos, argüisteis, arguyeron.
Key Takeaway
With practice, you’ll easily master the -UIR verb conjugation in the preterite tense. Don’t forget the “y” and the accent, and you’ll be expressing past actions like a native speaker in no time!
Synonyms:
- English: -UIR verbs in Simple Past Tense, Past Simple Tense, Preterite Tense, Past Indefinite Tense, Historical Past
- Spanish: Verbos en -UIR en Pretérito Indefinido