gemir Preterite Conjugation
gemir — to moan
Gemir is a 'slipper verb' in the preterite, changing 'e' to 'i' only in the third-person forms: gimió and gimieron.
gemir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use this for completed instances of moaning or groaning in the past, like a single groan of frustration.
Notes on gemir in the Preterite
The stem change only happens in the third-person singular (él/ella/usted) and plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes). The other forms are regular.
Example Sentences
El herido gimió una vez y luego se durmió.
The wounded man moaned once and then fell asleep.
él/ella/usted
Gemí de frustración al ver el tráfico.
I groaned in frustration when I saw the traffic.
yo
Los fantasmas gimieron toda la noche.
The ghosts moaned all night.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: gemió
Correct: gimió (regular-looking but requires the 'i')
Why: Learners often forget the e-i change in the third-person singular.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: gimo
Gemir is an e-i stem changer in the present: gimo, gimes, gime, gemimos, gemís, gimen.
Imperfect
yo: gemía
The imperfect of gemir is regular: gemía, gemías, gemía, gemíamos, gemíais, gemían.
Future
yo: gemiré
The future of gemir is regular: gemiré, gemirás, gemirá, gemiremos, gemiréis, gemirán.
Conditional
yo: gemiría
The conditional of gemir is regular: gemiría, gemirías, gemiría, gemiríamos, gemiríais, gemirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: gima
Gemir changes the 'e' to 'i' in all forms of the present subjunctive: gima, gimas, gima, gimamos, gimáis, giman.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: gimiera
Gemir uses the 'gimie-' stem for all imperfect subjunctive forms: gimiera, gimieras, gimiera, gimiéramos, gimierais, gimieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: gime
Commands for gemir use the stem change 'i' except for the vosotros form: gime, gima, gimamos, gemid, giman.
Negative Imperative
yo: no gimas
Negative commands for gemir always use the 'i' stem: no gimas, no gima, no gimamos, no gimáis, no giman.