sumergir Preterite Conjugation
sumergir — to submerge
Sumergir is regular in the preterite: sumergí, sumergiste, sumergió, sumergimos, sumergisteis, sumergieron.
sumergir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for completed actions in the past, such as the specific moment someone dived into a pool or dipped an object into liquid.
Notes on sumergir in the Preterite
Sumergir is fully regular in the preterite. Note that the 'g' remains a 'g' throughout because it is followed by 'í', 'i', or 'e', which preserves the soft sound naturally.
Example Sentences
Sumergí la camiseta en tinte azul.
I submerged the t-shirt in blue dye.
yo
El buceador se sumergió rápidamente.
The diver submerged himself quickly.
él/ella/usted
Sumergieron los pies en el río frío.
They dipped their feet in the cold river.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using a 'j' in the preterite (e.g., 'sumerjí').
Correct: sumergí
Why: The 'g' to 'j' change only happens before 'a' or 'o'. Since preterite endings for -ir verbs start with 'i' or 'e', the 'g' stays.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'sumergir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: sumerjo
Sumergir changes 'g' to 'j' only in the 'yo' form (sumerjo) to keep the soft 'h' sound.
Imperfect
yo: sumergía
The imperfect of sumergir is regular: sumergía, sumergías, sumergía, sumergíamos, sumergíais, sumergían.
Future
yo: sumergiré
The future of sumergir is regular: sumergiré, sumergirás, sumergirá, sumergiremos, sumergiréis, sumergirán.
Conditional
yo: sumergiría
The conditional of sumergir is regular: sumergiría, sumergirías, sumergiría, sumergiríamos, sumergiríais, sumergirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: sumerja
The present subjunctive uses a 'j' in all forms: sumerja, sumerjas, sumerja, sumerjamos, sumerjáis, sumerjan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: sumergiera
The imperfect subjunctive of sumergir is regular: sumergiera, sumergieras, sumergiera, sumergiéramos, sumergierais, sumergieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sumerge
The imperative uses 'g' for 'tú' (sumerge) but 'j' for 'usted/ustedes' (sumerja/sumerjan).
Negative Imperative
yo: no sumerjas
All negative commands for sumergir use 'j': no sumerjas, no sumerja, no sumerjamos, no sumerjáis, no sumerjan.