pedir Present Conjugation
pedir — to ask for
Pedir features an 'e to i' stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
pedir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present to talk about things you usually order, favors you are currently asking for, or general habits regarding requests.
Notes on pedir in the Present
This is a stem-changing verb (e:i). The 'e' in the root changes to 'i' in all forms except for the 'we' (nosotros) and 'you all' (vosotros) forms.
Example Sentences
Siempre pido el mismo café.
I always order the same coffee.
yo
¿Qué pides tú de postre?
What do you order for dessert?
tú
Nosotros pedimos la cuenta ahora.
We are asking for the bill now.
nosotros
Ellos piden perdón por el ruido.
They are asking for forgiveness for the noise.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'pedo' instead of 'pido'.
Correct: The form is pido.
Why: Learners forget the e-to-i stem change. Also, 'pedo' is a slang word for 'fart' in Spanish, so it's an awkward mistake!
Mistake: Changing the stem in the nosotros form (pidimos).
Correct: Keep it as pedimos.
Why: Stem changes for -ir verbs never apply to the nosotros or vosotros forms in the present indicative.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: pedí
Pedir has a third-person stem change (e to i) in the preterite: pidió and pidieron.
Imperfect
yo: pedía
Pedir is regular in the imperfect: pedía, pedías, pedía, pedíamos, pedíais, pedían.
Future
yo: pediré
Pedir is regular in the future; simply add the endings to the infinitive: pediré, pedirás, etc.
Conditional
yo: pediría
The conditional of pedir is regular: pediría, pedirías, pediría, pediríamos, pediríais, pedirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pida
Pedir changes the stem to 'pid-' for all forms in the present subjunctive.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: pidiera
The imperfect subjunctive of pedir uses the stem 'pidie-': pidiera, pidieras, pidiera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pide
Use 'pide' for informal commands and 'pida' for formal ones.
Negative Imperative
yo: no pidas
Negative commands for pedir use the present subjunctive forms with 'no'.