1.15: Verbos que cambian de significado en el pretérito
- Page ID
- 158563
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Verbs that change in meaning in the preterite
We are going to study the verbs that change its meaning from present to preterite tense in Spanish. These are the following verbs:
Saber
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | sé | supe |
| Tú | sabes | supiste |
|
Usted, él, ella |
sabe |
supo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | sabemos | supimos |
|
Ustedes, ellos, ellas |
saben | supieron |
In the present tense, "saber" is used to express "to know something" (knowledge, fact) and "to know how to do something" (skill).
- Yo sé la capital de los Estados Unidos. Es Washington DC.
- Nosotros sabemos bailar tango.
In the preterite tense, "saber" is used to express "to find out about something" (found out, realized). The preterite tense of "saber" are highlighted in bold.
- El sábado pasado en la reunión familiar, supe que mi prima Elizabeth va a casarse en la primavera.
Last Saturday in the family gathering, I found out that my cousin Elizabeth is going to get married in the Spring.
Conocer
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conozco | conocí |
| Tú | conoces | conociste |
|
Usted, él, ella |
conoce |
conoció |
| Nosotros, nosotras | conocemos | conocimos |
|
Ustedes, ellos, ellas |
conocen | conocieron |
In the present tense, "conocer" is used to express "to know or to be acquainted or familiar with a person, a place, or a thing".
- Yo conozco bien la capital de los Estados Unidos. Viví en esta ciudad por varios años.
- Leticia conoce a todos los padres de sus estudiantes.
In the preterite tense, "conocer" is used to express "to meet someone for the first time" (met). Personal "a" is used after the verb conocer. The preterite tense of "conocer" are highlighted in bold.
- Anoche en la casa de Arturo, nosotros conocimos a sus abuelitos.
Last night at Arturo's house, we met his grandparents.
Poder
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | puedo | pude |
| Tú | puedes | pudiste |
|
Usted, él, ella |
puede |
pudo |
| Nosotros, nosotras | podemos | pudimos |
|
Ustedes, ellos, ellas |
pueden | pudieron |
In the present tense, "poder" means "to be able to" or "can", and "no poder" means "not be able to" or "cannot."
- ¿Puedes ir al concierto con nosotros la próxima semana?
- Lo siento, no puedo ir. Tengo que trabajar.
In the preterite tense, "poder" in the affirmative means "managed or succeeded in doing something," while "no poder" means "failed after attempting to do something." The preterite tense examples of poder are highlighted in bold.
- Anoche pude entregar mis tareas antes de la medianoche. ¿Y Carlos?
Last night I managed to turn in my homework before midnight. How about Carlos?- Desafortunadamente, Carlos no pudo entregarlas a tiempo.
Unfortunately Carlos failed to turn them in on time.
- Desafortunadamente, Carlos no pudo entregarlas a tiempo.
Querer
| Subject pronoun | Present tense | Preterite tense |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | quiero | quise |
| Tú | quieres | quisiste |
|
Usted, él, ella |
quiere |
quiso |
| Nosotros, nosotras | queremos | quisimos |
|
Ustedes, ellos, Ellas |
quieren | quisieron |
In the present tense, "querer" means "to want" or "to love," and "no querer" means "to not want."
- ¿Qué quieren hacer esta noche?
- Esta noche no queremos hacer nada. Preferimos estar en casa.
- Mami, te queremos mucho.
In the preterite tense, "querer" means "tried to," while "no querer" means "refused." The preterite tense of "querer" are highlighted in bold.
- Arturo quiso ir a la fiesta de Mariela, pero tuvo que trabajar.
Arturo tried to go to Mariela's party, but he had to work. - Paola y Laura no quisieron salir con Fabio y Daniel.
Paola and Laura refused to go out with Fabio and Daniel.
Videolección
By clicking on the icon below, you can hear a video lesson about these four verbs and how their meaning changes in the preterite.
¡A practicar!
This page combines 7.4: Verbos que cambian de significado en el pretérito and 7.4.1: Práctica- Verbos que cambian de significado en el pretérito by M. Barrio De Mendoza, K Gutiérrez, H.Ho, C. Lin, & A Stere Lugo through ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.