morder Preterite Conjugation
morder — to bite
Morder is completely regular in the preterite, following standard -er endings.
morder Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a single, completed action in the past, like that one time a mosquito bit you.
Notes on morder in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, there is NO stem change in the preterite. The 'o' remains an 'o' throughout.
Example Sentences
El perro me mordió la pierna ayer.
The dog bit my leg yesterday.
él/ella/usted
Mordí una manzana muy dura.
I bit into a very hard apple.
yo
Los niños mordieron sus juguetes.
The children bit their toys.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: muerdió
Correct: mordió
Why: Learners often try to carry the stem change from the present into the preterite, but morder is regular here.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: muerdo
Morder follows an O to UE stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: mordía
Morder is regular in the imperfect: mordía, mordías, mordía, mordíamos, mordíais, mordían.
Future
yo: morderé
The future of morder is regular: add endings to the full infinitive.
Conditional
yo: mordería
The conditional of morder is regular: mordería, morderías, mordería, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: muerda
Morder keeps its O to UE stem change in the subjunctive, except for nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: mordiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'mordie-' stem: mordiera, mordieras, mordiera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: muerde
Use 'muerde' for informal commands and 'muerda' for formal ones.
Negative Imperative
yo: no muerdas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no muerdas, no muerda, no mordamos.