bendecir Preterite Conjugation
bendecir — to bless
Bendecir is highly irregular in the preterite, using the 'bendij-' stem and special endings.
bendecir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a blessing that was completed at a specific point in the past, such as during a ceremony or a specific event.
Notes on bendecir in the Preterite
The stem changes to 'bendij-' for all persons. Note that the third person plural is 'bendijeron' (no 'i' after the 'j').
Example Sentences
El obispo bendijo la nueva iglesia.
The bishop blessed the new church.
él/ella/usted
Yo bendije el agua para el bautizo.
I blessed the water for the baptism.
yo
Ellos bendijeron a toda la familia.
They blessed the whole family.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: él bendeció
Correct: él bendijo
Why: Bendecir uses the irregular 'j' stem in the preterite, not the regular -ir endings.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'bendecir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: bendigo
Bendecir is irregular in the present, changing the stem to 'bendig-' in the 'yo' form and 'bendic-' in others.
Imperfect
yo: bendecía
Bendecir is completely regular in the imperfect: bendecía, bendecías, bendecía...
Future
yo: bendeciré
Bendecir is regular in the future, using the full infinitive: bendeciré, bendecirás...
Conditional
yo: bendeciría
The conditional of bendecir is regular: bendeciría, bendecirías, bendeciría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: bendiga
The present subjunctive uses the 'bendig-' stem: bendiga, bendigas, bendiga...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: bendijera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'bendij-' stem: bendijera, bendijeras, bendijera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: bendice
The imperative uses 'bendice' for 'tú' and 'bendiga' for 'usted'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no bendigas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no bendigas, no bendiga...