Recall the irregular form inside a complete sentence
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Spanish irregular preterite verbs
What makes a Spanish preterite irregular?
A strong preterite changes its stem and then uses one shared set of unstressed endings: tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron. The yo and él/ella/usted forms do not take written accents.
Hacer changes c to z before o: hice but hizo. Decir, traer and verbs ending in -ducir use j and drop the i from the third-person plural ending: dijeron, trajeron, condujeron—not dijieron, trajieron or condujieron.
Ser and ir share fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis and fueron; context supplies the meaning. Several -ir verbs change only in the third person, while leer, oír and -uir verbs use y in forms such as leyó, oyó and construyeron.
Choose the form in four decisions
Check whether the verb has a strong preterite stem: tuv-, estuv-, anduv-, pud-, pus-, sup-, cup-, vin-, quis-, hic-, dij-, traj- or a -duj- stem.
Add -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis and -ieron; after j use -eron in the third-person plural.
Treat ser/ir, dar and ver as compact special paradigms that do not take written accents.
For an -ir stem-changing verb or a vowel-contact verb, check the third-person singular and plural separately.
32 irregular Spanish preterite examples
The table moves from reusable strong-stem endings to special paradigms and third-person spelling or vowel changes.
| Spanish sentence | Meaning | Form cue | Why this form? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayer tuve tiempo. | I had time yesterday. | tener → tuv- + e | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Estuvimos en casa. | We were at home. | estar → estuv- + imos | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Anduvieron por el centro. | They walked around the city centre. | andar → anduv- + ieron | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| No pude abrir la puerta. | I could not open the door. | poder → pud- + e | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Pusiste las llaves aquí. | You put the keys here. | poner → pus- + iste | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Supimos la verdad. | We found out the truth. | saber → sup- + imos | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| El sofá no cupo. | The sofa did not fit. | caber → cup- + o | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Hubo un problema. | There was a problem. | haber impersonal → hubo | A strong u-stem takes -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron with no written accent. |
| Vine temprano. | I came early. | venir → vin- + e | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Quisieron ayudar. | They wanted to help. | querer → quis- + ieron | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Hice la cena. | I made dinner. | hacer → hic- + e | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Hizo frío. | It was cold. | hacer → hiz- + o | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Dije la verdad. | I told the truth. | decir → dij- + e | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Dijeron que sí. | They said yes. | decir → dij- + eron | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Traje el libro. | I brought the book. | traer → traj- + e | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Condujeron de noche. | They drove at night. | conducir → conduj- + eron | Strong i- and j-stems use the same endings; j-stems have -eron, not -ieron, in the third-person plural. |
| Fui al mercado. | I went to the market. | ir → fui; destination gives meaning | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Fue una sorpresa. | It was a surprise. | ser → fue; description gives meaning | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Fuimos juntos. | We went together. | ir → fuimos in this context | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Diste una respuesta clara. | You gave a clear answer. | dar → diste | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Dieron las gracias. | They thanked us. | dar → dieron | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Vi la película. | I saw the film. | ver → vi | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Vieron el accidente. | They saw the accident. | ver → vieron | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Fuiste muy amable. | You were very kind. | ser → fuiste in this context | Ser/ir, dar and ver have compact special paradigms; context separates ser from ir. |
| Pidió agua. | He or she asked for water. | pedir e→i: pidió | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Pidieron ayuda. | They asked for help. | pedir e→i: pidieron | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Durmió ocho horas. | He or she slept for eight hours. | dormir o→u: durmió | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Durmieron aquí. | They slept here. | dormir o→u: durmieron | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Leyó el mensaje. | He or she read the message. | leer i→y: leyó | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Leyeron el informe. | They read the report. | leer i→y: leyeron | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Oyó un ruido. | He or she heard a noise. | oír i→y: oyó | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
| Construyeron el puente. | They built the bridge. | construir i→y: construyeron | The change is restricted to third-person forms: e→i or o→u in many -ir verbs, and i→y in vowel contact. |
Learn irregular preterites in four families
Each family answers a different question: which stem, which ending, which special paradigm, or which third-person change?
Strong u-stems
Reuse one ending set with tuv-, estuv-, anduv-, pud-, pus-, sup- and cup-.
Ayer tuve tiempo. · Estuvimos en casa. · Anduvieron por el centro. · No pude abrir la puerta. · Pusiste las llaves aquí. · Supimos la verdad. · El sofá no cupo. · Hubo un problema.
Strong i- and j-stems
Watch hizo and the -eron plural after j.
Vine temprano. · Quisieron ayudar. · Hice la cena. · Hizo frío. · Dije la verdad. · Dijeron que sí. · Traje el libro. · Condujeron de noche.
Compact special paradigms
Use context for ser/ir and learn dar/ver without accents.
Fui al mercado. · Fue una sorpresa. · Fuimos juntos. · Diste una respuesta clara. · Dieron las gracias. · Vi la película. · Vieron el accidente. · Fuiste muy amable.
Third-person changes
Keep vowel and y changes in él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes forms.
Pidió agua. · Pidieron ayuda. · Durmió ocho horas. · Durmieron aquí. · Leyó el mensaje. · Leyeron el informe. · Oyó un ruido. · Construyeron el puente.
Which endings do strong preterites use?
Strong stems normally take -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis and -ieron: pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron. These endings are not the regular -ar set and carry no written accents.
J-stems use the same pattern except for the third-person plural: dijeron, trajeron, condujeron. The sequence is -eron, not -ieron.
Not every irregularity uses a strong stem. Fui can be ser or ir; di and vi are short special forms; pidió and durmió restrict the vowel change to third-person forms.
Hola Cards is a Spanish flashcard app from holacards.org for iOS and Android. It is free to download, requires no account, has no ads, and works offline. The interface is available in English, Russian, and Portuguese; cards support translations in 28 languages and 18 practice and game modes. You can import these 32 fixed examples into a custom group and practise them with Spanish audio, writing, pronunciation, and spaced review. Hola Cards does not conjugate verbs, identify a tense, or correct a sentence automatically, so verify each form with this guide.
Connect the irregular forms with regular preterite endings, imperfect forms, present-tense changes, subject pronouns and writing practice.
Regular preterite endings Imperfect endings Stem-changing verbs Subject pronouns Spanish writing practice app
A five-minute irregular-preterite drill
- Choose one family and cover the form cue.
- Say the infinitive and irregular stem aloud.
- Build yo, tú and ellos forms with the shared endings.
- Write one completed event with ayer or anoche.
- Compare the sentence with the table, then review it once from audio.
Grammar references
The paradigms, strong-preterite patterns and A2–B1 learning scope were checked against RAE–ASALE and Instituto Cervantes.
- RAE–ASALE: strong preterites and irregular stems
- RAE–ASALE: Spanish conjugation models
- Instituto Cervantes A1–A2 grammar inventory
- Instituto Cervantes B1–B2 grammar inventory
FAQ
What are the most common irregular preterite stems?
Useful families include tuv-, estuv-, anduv-, pud-, pus-, sup-, cup-, vin-, quis-, hic-, dij-, traj- and stems ending in -duj-.
What endings do strong preterites use?
They normally use -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis and -ieron, without written accents. J-stems use -eron in the third-person plural.
Why are ser and ir the same in the preterite?
Both use fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis and fueron. The destination or description around the form shows which verb is intended.
Why is it hizo rather than hico?
Hacer uses hic- except before the third-person singular -o, where c changes to z: hizo.
Do all stem-changing verbs change in every preterite form?
No. Many -ir verbs change only in the third-person singular and plural: pidió/pidieron or durmió/durmieron.
Can Hola Cards conjugate an irregular verb for me?
No. You can import and practise the fixed examples, but this guide is what explains and verifies the forms.
Copy 32 irregular preterite examples into Hola Cards
Open word groups in Hola Cards, choose paste/import, and paste the block. Each line uses “Spanish - translation”.
**Spanish irregular preterite: 32 examples**
Ayer tuve tiempo. - I had time yesterday.
Estuvimos en casa. - We were at home.
Anduvieron por el centro. - They walked around the city centre.
No pude abrir la puerta. - I could not open the door.
Pusiste las llaves aquí. - You put the keys here.
Supimos la verdad. - We found out the truth.
El sofá no cupo. - The sofa did not fit.
Hubo un problema. - There was a problem.
Vine temprano. - I came early.
Quisieron ayudar. - They wanted to help.
Hice la cena. - I made dinner.
Hizo frío. - It was cold.
Dije la verdad. - I told the truth.
Dijeron que sí. - They said yes.
Traje el libro. - I brought the book.
Condujeron de noche. - They drove at night.
Fui al mercado. - I went to the market.
Fue una sorpresa. - It was a surprise.
Fuimos juntos. - We went together.
Diste una respuesta clara. - You gave a clear answer.
Dieron las gracias. - They thanked us.
Vi la película. - I saw the film.
Vieron el accidente. - They saw the accident.
Fuiste muy amable. - You were very kind.
Pidió agua. - He or she asked for water.
Pidieron ayuda. - They asked for help.
Durmió ocho horas. - He or she slept for eight hours.
Durmieron aquí. - They slept here.
Leyó el mensaje. - He or she read the message.
Leyeron el informe. - They read the report.
Oyó un ruido. - He or she heard a noise.
Construyeron el puente. - They built the bridge.
Review irregular preterite patterns in Hola Cards
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