roer Preterite Conjugation
roer — to gnaw
The preterite of roer features spelling changes where 'i' becomes 'y' in the third person (royó, royeron).
roer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific instance when something was gnawed through or damaged at a definite point in time.
Notes on roer in the Preterite
Because the stem ends in a vowel, the 'i' changes to a 'y' in the third-person forms to avoid three vowels in a row (hiatus). Note the accents on roí, roíste, and roímos.
Example Sentences
El hámster royó su jaula anoche.
The hamster gnawed its cage last night.
él/ella/usted
Yo roí la manzana con cuidado.
I nibbled/gnawed the apple carefully.
yo
Las ratas royeron los cimientos de madera.
The rats gnawed the wooden foundations.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'roió' instead of 'royó'.
Correct: The correct spelling is 'royó'.
Why: In Spanish, an unstressed 'i' between two vowels must change to a 'y'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: roigo
The present tense of roer is irregular in the 'yo' form (roigo), but otherwise follows regular -er patterns.
Imperfect
yo: roía
The imperfect of roer is completely regular: roía, roías, roía, roíamos, roíais, roían.
Future
yo: roeré
The future tense of roer is regular: roeré, roerás, roerá, roeremos, roeréis, roerán.
Conditional
yo: roería
The conditional of roer is regular: roería, roerías, roería, roeríamos, roeríais, roerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: roiga
The present subjunctive of roer follows the 'roig-' stem: roiga, roigas, roiga, roigamos, roigáis, roigan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: royera
The imperfect subjunctive of roer uses the 'roy-' stem: royera, royeras, royera, royéramos, royerais, royeran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: roe
The imperative of roer uses 'roe' (tú) and the irregular 'roiga' (usted/ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no roigas
The negative imperative of roer always uses the 'roig-' stem: no roigas, no roiga, no roigamos, no roigáis, no roigan.