Spanish II: ‐ar or ‐er Verbs in the Preterit

‐ar or ‐er Verbs in the Preterit

No - ar or - er verbs undergo a stem change in the preterit. Remember that - ar and - er verbs that undergo a stem change in the present tense do not undergo a stem change in the preterit. The verb pensar (to think) is a good example of this. Look carefully at the forms in Table 1 and notice the lack of stem change in the preterit.

TABLE 1

Preterit Forms of the Verb Pensar (to Think)

Subject	Verb	Subject	Verb
yo	pensé	nosotros/nosotras	pensamos
tú	pensaste	vosotros/vosotras	pensasteis
él	pensó	ellos	pensaron
ella	pensó	ellas	pensaron
usted	pensó	ustedes	pensaron