
corregir Preterite Conjugation
corregir — to correct
Corregir is a 'slipper verb,' changing 'e' to 'i' only in the third-person forms (él/ellos).
corregir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed correction, like when you fixed a typo in an email yesterday or when a teacher finished grading.
Notes on corregir in the Preterite
It's regular for most people, but the 'bottom' of the conjugation chart (él/ella and ellos/ellas) changes the 'e' to 'i' (corrigió, corrigieron).
Example Sentences
Ayer corregí todo el informe.
Yesterday I corrected the whole report.
yo
Ella corrigió mi pronunciación.
She corrected my pronunciation.
él/ella/usted
Ellos corrigieron los errores del libro.
They corrected the errors in the book.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'corregió' instead of 'corrigió'.
Correct: corrigió
Why: IR-verbs that stem-change in the present also change e to i in the third-person preterite.
Mistake: Writing 'corregi' without an accent.
Correct: corregí
Why: The accent on the 'í' is vital to show it is the past tense 'I' form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: corrijo
Corregir has a 'g' to 'j' spelling change in the first person and an 'e' to 'i' stem change in most forms.
Imperfect
yo: corregía
Corregir is completely regular in the imperfect: corregía, corregías, corregía...
Future
yo: corregiré
The future tense is regular: simply add endings to the full infinitive 'corregir'.
Conditional
yo: corregiría
The conditional is regular: add -ía, -ías, -ía to the infinitive 'corregir'.
Present Subjunctive
yo: corrija
The present subjunctive uses the 'j' spelling change and 'e' to 'i' stem change in all forms.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: corrigiera
Based on the preterite 'ellos' form, this tense uses the 'i' stem: corrigiera, corrigieras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: corrige
Use 'corrige' for friends and 'corrija' for formal situations.
Negative Imperative
yo: no corrijas
Always uses the 'j' spelling: No corrijas, no corrija, no corrijamos.