Some Spanish verbs end in -uir. They undergo a change when they are conjugated in the preterite tense.
Learn about -UIR verbs in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish
Distribuir, construir, destruir and huir, are irregular in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish, but they all follow the same pattern, replacing the last two letters of the infinitive with:
| yo | -í |
| tú | -iste |
| él / ella / Ud. | -yó |
| nosotros / nosotras | -imos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -isteis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | -yeron |
Note the vowel change from -i- with a -y- in both the third person singular and plural forms (él and ellos). Also note that there are accents in the first person and third person singular forms.
Conjugation of "construir" in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish
| yo | construí |
| tú | construiste |
| él / ella / Ud. | construyó |
| nosotros / nosotras | construimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | construisteis |
| ellos / ellas / Uds. | construyeron |
Here are some examples to look at and listen to:
Verbs that follow this pattern are
- distribuir (to distribute)
- construir (to build)
- destruir (to destroy)
- huir (to run away)
- disminuir (to reduce)
See also: List of Spanish irregular -uir verbs (i > y) in the present and past tenses.
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