contribuir Preterite Conjugation
contribuir — to contribute
In the preterite, contribuir changes 'i' to 'y' in the third-person forms: contribuyó and contribuyeron.
contribuir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific, completed instance of contributing, like a one-time donation or a specific task finished in the past.
Notes on contribuir in the Preterite
The 'i' becomes a 'y' in the third person (singular and plural) because Spanish spelling avoids having an unstressed 'i' between two vowels.
Example Sentences
Ayer contribuí a la colecta de alimentos.
Yesterday I contributed to the food drive.
yo
Ella contribuyó con una idea brillante.
She contributed a brilliant idea.
él/ella/usted
Ellos contribuyeron con el capital necesario.
They contributed the necessary capital.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'contribuio' instead of 'contribuyó'.
Correct: contribuyó
Why: In the third person, the 'i' must change to 'y' to maintain the correct pronunciation and spelling rules.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contribuyo
The present tense of contribuir adds a 'y' before endings: contribuyo, contribuyes, contribuye, contribuyen.
Imperfect
yo: contribuía
The imperfect of contribuir is regular: contribuía, contribuías, contribuía, contribuíamos, contribuíais, contribuían.
Future
yo: contribuiré
The future tense of contribuir is regular: añadir the endings to the infinitive (contribuiré, contribuirás, etc.).
Conditional
yo: contribuiría
The conditional of contribuir is regular: añadir the endings -ía to the infinitive (contribuiría).
Present Subjunctive
yo: contribuya
The present subjunctive uses the 'y' stem from the 'yo' form: contribuya, contribuyas, contribuya...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contribuyera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'y' from the preterite: contribuyera, contribuyeras, contribuyera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contribuye
Use 'contribuye' (tú) or 'contribuya' (usted) to tell someone to help out.
Negative Imperative
yo: no contribuyas
All negative commands for contribuir use the 'y' stem: no contribuyas, no contribuya, no contribuyamos.