desmentir Preterite Conjugation
desmentir — to deny
Desmentir has a third-person stem change (e > i): desmintió and desmintieron.
desmentir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when a formal denial was issued at a specific point in time, such as a press release or a specific conversation.
Notes on desmentir in the Preterite
As an -ir verb with a stem change, the 'e' changes to 'i' only in the third-person singular (él/ella) and plural (ellos/ellas).
Example Sentences
La policía desmintió la noticia ayer por la tarde.
The police denied the news yesterday afternoon.
él/ella/usted
Los testigos desmintieron su versión de los hechos.
The witnesses refuted his version of the events.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Desmentí el informe en cuanto lo leí.
I denied the report as soon as I read it.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'desmentió' for the third person.
Correct: The correct form is desmintió.
Why: Stem-changing -ir verbs change e to i in the third person of the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desmiento
Desmentir follows the e > ie stem change in the 'boot' forms: desmiento, desmientes, desmiente, and desmienten.
Imperfect
yo: desmentía
Desmentir is completely regular in the imperfect: desmentía, desmentías, desmentía...
Future
yo: desmentiré
Desmentir is regular in the future; just add endings to the infinitive: desmentiré, desmentirás.
Conditional
yo: desmentiría
The conditional is regular: desmentiría, desmentirías, desmentiría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: desmienta
Desmentir changes e > ie in most forms, but e > i in nosotros/vosotros: desmienta, desmintamos.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: desmintiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'desminti-' stem: desmintiera, desmintieras...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desmiente
Give commands to deny something: desmiente (tú), desmienta (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no desmientas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no desmientas, no desmienta.