contradecir Preterite Conjugation
contradecir — to contradict
The preterite of contradecir uses the irregular 'j' stem: contradije, contradijiste, contradijo.
contradecir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance where someone spoke up to contradict a fact or person at a definite point in the past.
Notes on contradecir in the Preterite
It follows the 'j-stem' irregular pattern. Note that the third-person plural ends in -eron (contradijeron), not -ieron.
Example Sentences
Ella me contradijo delante de todos.
She contradicted me in front of everyone.
él/ella/usted
Ayer contradije la versión oficial del accidente.
Yesterday I contradicted the official version of the accident.
yo
Los testigos contradijeron su historia.
The witnesses contradicted his story.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'contradicieron' for the third-person plural.
Correct: The correct form is contradijeron.
Why: After a 'j' stem in the preterite, the 'i' in the -ieron ending is dropped.
Mistake: Using 'contradició' for he/she.
Correct: The correct form is contradijo.
Why: It is an irregular 'j-stem' verb, not a regular -ir verb.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contradigo
Contradecir is highly irregular in the present, following the pattern of 'decir' with a 'g' in the 'yo' form and an e-to-i stem change.
Imperfect
yo: contradecía
Contradecir is regular in the imperfect: contradecía, contradecías, contradecía.
Future
yo: contradeciré
The future tense is regular for contradecir: contradeciré, contradecirás, contradecirá.
Conditional
yo: contradeciría
The conditional is regular: contradeciría, contradecirías, contradeciría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: contradiga
The present subjunctive uses the 'contradiga-' stem, derived from the 'yo' form of the present indicative.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contradijera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'contradije-' stem: contradijera, contradijeras, etc.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contradice
The imperative uses 'contradice' (tú) and 'contradiga' (usted) for direct commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no contradigas
The negative imperative uses 'no' plus the present subjunctive forms: no contradigas, no contradiga.