Some verbs in the preterit (el pretérito) have spelling changes. These changes only apply to the Yo (I) form of the personal pronouns.
- Verbs that end in -car change the c to que
Example:
Buscar = Busqué
Yo busqué las llaves.
I looked for the keys.
- Verbs that end in -gar change the g to gue
Example:
Apagar = Apagué
Yo apagué las luces.
I turned off the lights.
- Verbs that end in -zar change the z to ce
Example:
Tropezar = Tropecé
Mientras caminaba tropecé con una piedra.
While walking I tripped on a stone.
Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Preterit Table
| Some Verbs ending in -car | Spelling Changes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chocar | Choqué | to crash |
| Colocar | Coloqué | to place |
| Explicar | Expliqué | to explain |
| Pescar | Pesqué | to fish |
| Practicar | Practiqué | to practice |
| Sacar | Saqué | to take out |
| Tocar | Toqué | to touch or to play (music or a musical instrument. |
| Some Verbs ending in -gar | Spelling Changes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Agregar | Agregué | to add |
| Cargar | Cargué | to load |
| Castigar | Castigué | to punish |
| Entregar | Entregué | to hand over |
| Jugar | Jugué | to play |
| Llegar | Llegué | to arrive |
| Pagar | Pagué | to pay |
| Some Verbs ending in -zar | Spelling Changes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Abrazar | Abracé | to hug |
| Alcanzar | Alcancé | to reach |
| Almorzar | Almorcé | to eat, have lunch |
| Cruzar | Crucé | to cross |
| Empezar | Empecé | to begin |
| Lanzar | Lancé | to throw |
More Examples:
Castigué a mi sobrina por comer demasiados chocolates.
I punished my niece for eating too many chocolates.
Almorcé con mis amigos.
I had lunch with my friends.
Yo toqué el piano en la boda.
I played the piano at the wedding.
Other Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Preterit Tense
- Some verbs like, caer, huir, leer change the i to y; only in the third person of the singular and plural forms.
| Pronoun | Caer (to fall) | Huir (to flee) | Leer (to read) | Oír (to hear) | Construir (to build) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | caí | huí | leí | oí | construí |
| Tú | caíste | huistes | leíste | oíste | construiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | cayó | huyó | leyó | oyó | construyó |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | caímos | huimos | leímos | oímos | construimos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | caísteis | huisteis | leísteis | oísteis | construisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | cayeron | huyeron | leyeron | oyeron | construyeron |
Examples:
Richard distribuyó los boletos.
Richard distributed the tickets.
Martha y Joshua leyeron el periódico escolar.
Martha and Joshua read the school newspaper.
Todas oímos el timbre.
We all heard the doorbell.
