derretir Present Conjugation
derretir — to melt
The present tense of derretir is a stem-changer (e to i) for all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
derretir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about substances melting under current conditions, general scientific facts, or your heart 'melting' with emotion.
Notes on derretir in the Present
This is an e > i stem-changer. The 'e' in the root changes to 'i' in the 'boot' forms: yo derrito, tú derrites, él derrite, ellos derriten.
Example Sentences
El hielo se derrite muy rápido al sol.
The ice melts very quickly in the sun.
él/ella/usted
Derrito la mantequilla en el microondas.
I melt the butter in the microwave.
yo
Nosotros derretimos el chocolate al baño maría.
We melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'derreto' instead of 'derrito'.
Correct: derrito
Why: You must apply the e to i stem change in the first-person singular.
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Related Tenses
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.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: derritiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'derriti-' stem for all forms (derritiera, derritieras...).
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'.