Gramática: El pretérito con "Yo"

Some infinitives in Spanish have a special formation in the yo form only. The changes occur in infinitives ending with -gar , -car , y -zar .

Ejemplos: jugar, tocar, sacar, almorzar, llegar, etc.

Watch the video below then look over the summary to learn about the changes in these forms. Repeat the conjugations as you listen to help with your own pronunciation. For additional study, view the presentation and take notes as you view the material as you will be responsible for the content.

Video Lesson: The Preterite with -gar, -car, and -zar Verbs

Please watch this video below. Video credit: Sr. Jordan (used with permission, all rights reserved)

Summary: Preterite -AR Verbs -gar, -car, -zar

The following summary will help you master these special -AR verbs. Take notes!

In order to preserve the sound of the infinitive, a number of verbs change orthographically (in their spelling) in the preterite tense. The following changes occur in the yo form only.

**Yo Forms Changes in Certain -AR Verbs**
Examples	-AR Verbs Ending in -gar	-AR Verbs Ending in -car	-AR Verbs Ending in -zar
Yo form change	-G- to -GU-	-C- to -QU-	-Z- to -C-
Examples	jugar - to play yo jugué llegar - to arrive yo llegué pagar - to pay yo pagué	buscar - to look for yo busqué practicar - to practice yo practicqué sacar - to take/take out yo saqué tocar - to play an instrument yo toqué	almorzar - to eat lunch yo almorcé comenzar - to begin yo comencé empezar - to start yo empecé cruzar - to cross yo crucé organizar - to organize yo organicé

Other Irregularities in the Preterite

For verbs that end in -aer, -eer, -oír, or -oer:
- Change the él/ella/usted ending
  - -ió changes to -yó
- Change the ellos/ellas/ustedes ending
  - -ieron changes to -yeron
- The remaining forms take an accent over the i
- Verbs that follow this pattern include: creer (to believe), caer (to fall), leer (to read), oír (to hear)
For verbs that end in -uir:
- Change the él/ella/usted ending
  - -ió changes to -yó
- Change the ellos/ellas/ustedes ending
  - -ieron changes to -yeron
- The remaining forms DO NOT take an accent over the i (except the yo form, which remains -í)
- Verbs that follow this pattern include: construir (to construct), destruir (to destroy) and instruir (to include)

**Conjugated Examples**
creer - to think/believe	construir - to construct
creí creíste creyó creímos creísteis creyeron	construí construiste construyó construimos construisteis construyeron

Contextual Examples

Yo busqué el paquete. - I looked for the package.
Yo toqué la guitarra. - I played the guitar.
El profesor oyó las lecciones. - The professor heard the lessons.
Yo almorcé en mi casa. - I ate lunch in my house.
Yo comencé el viaje a Madrid. - I began the trip to Madrid.
Yo creí el cuento. - I believed the story.
Mi hermano leyó el libro. - My brother read the book.
Yo incluí todas mis amigas. - I included all of my friends.
Los hombres construyeron una nueva casa. - The men constructed a new house.

Practice Activities: Special Forms of Regular Preterite Verbs

Please complete the activities below to review these special preterite forms.

Activity 1: car, gar, zar

Activity 2: Additional Preterite Practice

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