Forgetting the Accent

'Leí' is used to describe an action that started and finished completely at a specific point in the past, like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.

The Preterite Tense (Completed Action)

The accent mark on the 'i' is essential. It tells you that the stress falls on the second syllable, separating it from the 'e' sound, and it signals the 'yo' form of the past tense.

The Accent Mark

Use 'leí' (Preterite) when you finished the book. Use 'leía' (Imperfect) when you were reading it over a period of time or describing the background scene.

Distinguishing Past Tenses

Extremely common. Used constantly to describe a completed reading action in the past.

'Leí' is the Spanish past tense (Preterite) conjugation of the verb 'leer' (to read), meaning 'I read.' Learn how to use this common irregular verb form correctly and avoid accent mistakes.

leí

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations