derretir Preterite Conjugation
derretir — to melt
In the preterite, derretir only stem-changes (e to i) in the third-person forms (él/ellos).
derretir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific event where something finished melting, like an ice cube that disappeared or a candle that burned out.
Notes on derretir in the Preterite
This is a 'slipper' verb. The stem change (e to i) only happens in the third-person singular (derritió) and plural (derritieron).
Example Sentences
La nieve se derritió en un solo día.
The snow melted in a single day.
él/ella/usted
Ayer derretí la cera para las velas.
Yesterday I melted the wax for the candles.
yo
Se derritieron los helados por el calor.
The ice creams melted because of the heat.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'derretió' as 'derretió' without the stem change.
Correct: derritió
Why: Third-person preterite forms of -ir stem-changers always use the changed vowel (i).
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.
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'.