Some -ir verbs that have a stem change in the present tense also have a stem change in the preterite (past) tense. However, in the preterite, this change only happens in the third-person forms: singular (él, ella, usted) and plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes).
The "e" to "i" change
For verbs like pedir (to ask for), preferir (to prefer), sugerir (to suggest), and seguir (to follow), the e in the stem changes to an i in the third person.
| Pronoun | Preterite of "pedir" |
|---|---|
| yo | pedí |
| tú | pediste |
| él / ella / usted | pidió |
| nosotros / nosotras | pedimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pidieron |
Notice how the change only affects the bottom rows of the conjugation chart:
| It is ten o'clock and the guest asked for another blanket. | Son las diez y el huésped pidió otra manta. |
| They preferred that soap. | Ellos prefirieron ese jabón. |
| The man suggested buying the cheap shampoo. | El hombre sugirió comprar el champú barato. |
| The guests followed the manager through the hallway. | Los huéspedes siguieron al gerente por el pasillo. |
The "o" to "u" change
For the verb dormir (to sleep), the o in the stem changes to a u, following the exact same third-person rule.
| Pronoun | Preterite of "dormir" |
|---|---|
| yo | dormí |
| tú | dormiste |
| él / ella / usted | durmió |
| nosotros / nosotras | dormimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | durmieron |
| She did not sleep because the elevator made a lot of noise. | Ella no durmió porque el ascensor hizo mucho ruido. |
| The guests did not sleep well yesterday. | Los huéspedes no durmieron bien ayer. |
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