Inklingo
A large boulder sitting in the middle of a narrow dirt path, completely stopping any movement forward.

obstruir Preterite Conjugation

obstruir — to block

B1irregular -ir★★★
Quick answer:

Obstruir is irregular in the 3rd person (él/ellos), changing 'i' to 'y': obstruyó, obstruyeron.

obstruir Preterite Forms

yoobstruí
túobstruiste
él/ella/ustedobstruyó
nosotrosobstruimos
vosotrosobstruisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesobstruyeron

When to Use the Preterite

Use the preterite for a specific instance where something got blocked, like a pipe yesterday or a road during an accident.

Notes on obstruir in the Preterite

It follows the 'y' spelling change in the third person singular and plural. Other forms are regular but require accents (obstruí, obstruiste).

Example Sentences

  • La caída de árboles obstruyó la carretera.

    The falling trees blocked the highway.

    él/ella/usted

  • Ayer obstruí la tubería por accidente.

    Yesterday I blocked the pipe by accident.

    yo

  • Los manifestantes obstruyeron la avenida principal.

    The protesters blocked the main avenue.

    ellos/ellas/ustedes

Common Mistakes

  • Mistake: obstruió

    Correct: obstruyó

    Why: In Spanish, an unstressed 'i' between two vowels must become a 'y'.

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Related Tenses

Present

yo: obstruyo

Obstruir adds a 'y' in most forms: obstruyo, obstruyes, obstruye, obstruyen (but not nosotros/vosotros).

Imperfect

yo: obstruía

Obstruir is regular in the imperfect: obstruía, obstruías, obstruía, obstruíamos, obstruíais, obstruían.

Future

yo: obstruiré

Obstruir is regular in the future: obstruiré, obstruirás, obstruirá, obstruiremos, obstruiréis, obstruirán.

Conditional

yo: obstruiría

Obstruir is regular in the conditional: obstruiría, obstruirías, obstruiría, obstruiríamos, obstruiríais, obstruirían.

Present Subjunctive

yo: obstruya

Obstruir adds a 'y' before the endings in all forms: obstruya, obstruyas, obstruya, obstruyamos, obstruyáis, obstruyan.

Imperfect Subjunctive

yo: obstruyera

Based on the 3rd person preterite, it uses the 'y' stem: obstruyera, obstruyeras, obstruyera...

Affirmative Imperative

yo: obstruye

Give commands using the 'y' forms: obstruye (tú), obstruya (usted), obstruyan (ustedes).

Negative Imperative

yo: no obstruyas

All negative commands use the present subjunctive: no obstruyas, no obstruya, no obstruyamos...