sugerir Preterite Conjugation
sugerir — to suggest
Sugerir has a third-person stem change (e-to-i): sugerí, sugeriste, sugirió, sugerimos, sugeristeis, sugirieron.
sugerir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to talk about a specific suggestion made at a definite point in the past, like a recommendation from a waiter yesterday.
Notes on sugerir in the Preterite
Watch out for the 'slipper' change: in the 3rd person singular (él/ella) and plural (ellos/ellas), the 'e' changes to 'i' (sugirió, sugirieron).
Example Sentences
El camarero nos sugirió el especial del día.
The waiter suggested the daily special to us.
él/ella/usted
Yo le sugerí que buscara otro trabajo.
I suggested to him that he look for another job.
yo
Ellos sugirieron cambiar la fecha de la reunión.
They suggested changing the date of the meeting.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: sugierió
Correct: sugirió
Why: In the preterite, the stem change is only 'i', not 'ie' like in the present tense.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'sugerir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: sugiero
Sugerir is an e-to-ie stem-changer in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: sugiero, sugieres, sugiere, sugerimos, sugerís, sugieren.
Imperfect
yo: sugería
Sugerir is completely regular in the imperfect: sugería, sugerías, sugería, sugeríamos, sugeríais, sugerían.
Future
yo: sugeriré
Sugerir is regular in the future: sugeriré, sugerirás, sugerirá, sugeriremos, sugeriréis, sugerirán.
Conditional
yo: sugeriría
Sugerir is regular in the conditional: sugeriría, sugerirías, sugeriría, sugeriríamos, sugeriríais, sugerirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sugiera
Sugerir is an e-to-ie stem changer, but also changes e-to-i in nosotros/vosotros: sugiera, sugieras, sugiera, sugiramos, sugiráis, sugieran.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sugiriera
Built from the 3rd person preterite stem 'sugir-': sugiriera, sugirieras, sugiriera, sugiriéramos, sugirierais, sugirieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sugiere
Use 'sugiere' (tú) or 'sugiera' (usted) to give direct advice or commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no sugieras
All negative commands for sugerir use the present subjunctive: no sugieras, no sugiera, no sugiramos, no sugiráis, no sugieran.