leí
le-EE
Quick Reference
📝 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.
💡 Grammar Points
The Preterite Tense (Completed Action)
'Leí' is used to describe an action that started and finished completely at a specific point in the past, like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.
The Accent Mark
The accent mark on the 'i' is essential. It tells you that the stress falls on the second syllable, separating it from the 'e' sound, and it signals the 'yo' form of the past tense.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Accent
Mistake: "Lei (without the accent)"
Correction: Leí (with the accent). Without the accent, 'lei' doesn't mean anything in Spanish, or it might be misheard as 'ley' (law).
⭐ Usage Tips
Distinguishing Past Tenses
Use 'leí' (Preterite) when you finished the book. Use 'leía' (Imperfect) when you were reading it over a period of time or describing the background scene.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: leí
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'leí'?
📚 More Resources
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.