servir preterite conjugation
Servir (to serve, be useful) in the preterite: serví, serviste, sirvió, servimos, servisteis, sirvieron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | regular: servió |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | regular: servieron |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Servir is irregular here. 2 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give servió, servieron.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Servir in a sentence
- El camarero sirve la comida.The waiter serves the food.
- Este cuchillo no sirve para nada.This knife is useless.
Stem-changing e→i in present/preterite (sirvo, sirvió); often + 'para'.
FAQ
What is the preterite of servir?
Servir in the Spanish preterite: yo serví, tú serviste, él/ella/usted sirvió, nosotros servimos, vosotros servisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes sirvieron.
Is servir irregular in the preterite?
Yes. 2 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: él/ella/usted sirvió (regular would be servió); ellos/ellas/ustedes sirvieron (regular would be servieron).
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
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