A colorful storybook illustration of a shiny red apple with a single large bite taken out of it.

mordió

mor-DYOH

verbA2irregular (stem-changing in other forms) er

bit?past action of using teeth

Also:took the bait?figurative, like falling for a trick,nipped?a small or quick bite

Quick Reference

gerundmordiendo

past Participlemordido

infinitivemorder

📝 In Action

El perro mordió el juguete con mucha fuerza.

The dog bit the toy very hard.

Ella mordió la manzana y encontró un gusano.

She bit the apple and found a worm.

El estafador puso una trampa y el cliente mordió el anzuelo.

The scammer set a trap and the client took the bait.

Word Connections

Synonyms

masticó (chewed)
hincó el diente (sank their teeth in)

Antonyms

soltó (let go / released)
escupió (spat out)

Common Collocations

mordió el polvo – bit the dust (failed/died)
mordió el anzuelo – fell for it / took the bait
se mordió la lengua – held their tongue

Idioms & Expressions

morderse la lengua – To stop yourself from saying something you want to say.

💡 Grammar Points

The Importance of the Accent Mark

The 'ó' at the end tells you that this action happened in the past and was done by 'him,' 'her,' 'it,' or 'you' (formal). Without that accent, it wouldn't be a correctly written word in this tense!

A Stable Past

Even though the base verb 'morder' often changes its 'o' to 'ue' (like 'muerdo'), it stays as a simple 'o' in this past tense form.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Missing the Accent

Mistake: "El perro mordio."

Correction: El perro mordió. Spanish needs the accent to show the stress is at the end for this past tense.

⭐ Usage Tips

Animal vs. Human

You can use this for a dog biting a ball or a person biting a sandwich. It’s perfectly natural for both!

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmordieran

yomordiera

túmordieras

vosotrosmordierais

nosotrosmordiéramos

él/ella/ustedmordiera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmuerdan

yomuerda

túmuerdas

vosotrosmordáis

nosotrosmordamos

él/ella/ustedmuerda

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesmordieron

yomordí

túmordiste

vosotrosmordisteis

nosotrosmordimos

él/ella/ustedmordió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesmordían

yomordía

túmordías

vosotrosmordíais

nosotrosmordíamos

él/ella/ustedmordía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesmuerden

yomuerdo

túmuerdes

vosotrosmordéis

nosotrosmordemos

él/ella/ustedmuerde

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: mordió

Question 1 of 2

Which of these people is the one who 'mordió'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

morder(to bite) - verb

mordida(a bite / a bribe) - noun

mordisco(a small bite / nip) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'mordió' used for bug bites?

Usually, for bugs that sting or prick (like mosquitoes), we use 'picó'. 'Mordió' is used for things with actual teeth, like dogs, spiders, or humans.

How do I say 'I bit'?

You would say 'mordí'. The ending changes based on who is doing the biting!