leí
“leí” means “I read” in Spanish (Completed action in the past (e.g., yesterday, last week)).
I read
Also: I looked over
📝 In Action
Anoche leí el primer capítulo de la novela.
A1Last night I read the first chapter of the novel.
Leí tu correo electrónico, gracias por la información.
A2I read your email, thank you for the information.
Cuando leí la noticia, no pude creerlo.
B1When I read the news, I couldn't believe it.
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: leí
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'leí'?
📚 More Resources
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *legere*, which meant 'to gather,' 'to choose,' and later evolved to mean 'to read' (gathering letters or words).
First recorded: Old Spanish
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'leí' have an accent mark?
The accent mark is needed to separate the vowel sounds and ensure the stress falls on the 'i' syllable. This is common for 'er' and 'ir' verbs in the 'yo' form of the Preterite tense when the stem ends in a vowel (like l-e-).
Why do some forms of 'leer' use a 'y' (like 'leyó') but 'leí' uses an 'i'?
Spanish avoids having three vowels in a row (e.g., *leió*). In the 'he/she/it' form ('leyó') and the plural forms ('leyeron'), the 'i' changes to a 'y' to act as a consonant bridge. However, in 'leí' and 'leímos', the accent mark breaks the vowel chain, so the 'i' remains.