derretir Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
derretir — to melt
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'derriti-' stem for all forms (derritiera, derritieras...).
derretir Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical situations (If it melted...) or after past emotions/doubts.
Notes on derretir in the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is built from the third-person plural preterite (derritieron), so the 'i' stem change persists through all forms.
Example Sentences
Si se derritiera el hielo, el nivel del mar subiría.
If the ice melted, the sea level would rise.
él/ella/usted
Me gustaría que derritieras la mantequilla.
I would like you to melt the butter.
tú
Si derritiéramos el metal, podríamos moldearlo.
If we melted the metal, we could mold it.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'derretiera' with an 'e'.
Correct: derritiera
Why: The stem must match the third-person preterite 'derritieron'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'derretir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: derrito
The present tense of derretir is a stem-changer (e to i) for all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: derretí
In the preterite, derretir only stem-changes (e to i) in the third-person forms (él/ellos).
Imperfect
yo: derretía
The imperfect of derretir is completely regular: derretía, derretías, derretía, derretíamos, derretíais, derretían.
Future
yo: derretiré
The future tense of derretir is regular: just add the endings to the infinitive (derretiré, derretirás...).
Conditional
yo: derretiría
The conditional of derretir is regular: derretiría, derretirías, derretiría, derretiríamos, derretiríais, derretirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: derrita
The present subjunctive of derretir stem-changes (e to i) in ALL forms, including nosotros and vosotros.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: derrite
The imperative uses 'derrite' (tú) and 'derritan' (ustedes) to give commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no derritas
The negative imperative of derretir uses the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.