Introduction
The preterite tense is one of the past tenses used in the Spanish language. It is used to talk about completed actions in the past. In this article, we will focus on the conjugation of the verb "servir" in the preterite tense. "Servir" means "to serve" in English and it is a commonly used verb in everyday conversations.
Regular Conjugation
Yo
In the preterite tense, the conjugation of "servir" for the first-person singular is "serví." For example, "Yo serví la cena anoche" translates to "I served dinner last night."
Tú
The second-person singular form of "servir" in the preterite tense is "serviste." For instance, "Tú serviste el postre en la fiesta" means "You served dessert at the party."
Él/Ella/Usted
When referring to the third-person singular, both masculine and feminine, or using the formal "you," the conjugation of "servir" in the preterite tense is "sirvió." An example sentence could be "Él sirvió el café en la reunión" which translates to "He served the coffee at the meeting."
Nosotros/Nosotras
The first-person plural form of "servir" in the preterite tense is "servimos." For example, "Nosotros servimos la comida en el restaurante" means "We served the food at the restaurant."
Vosotros/Vosotras
In Spain, the second-person plural form is "servisteis." For instance, "Vosotros servisteis los refrescos en la fiesta" translates to "You all served the drinks at the party."
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
When referring to the third-person plural, the conjugation of "servir" in the preterite tense is "sirvieron." For example, "Ellos sirvieron la cena en el evento" means "They served dinner at the event."
Irregular Conjugation
Although "servir" is a regular verb in the preterite tense, it does undergo a slight change in the stem for certain forms.
Yo
The first-person singular form of "servir" in the preterite tense changes the stem from "serv-" to "sirv-." Therefore, "Yo" becomes "yo serví" instead of "yo serví." For example, "Yo serví la sopa en la cena" translates to "I served the soup at dinner."
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
The third-person plural form of "servir" in the preterite tense also changes the stem from "serv-" to "sirv-." Therefore, "Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes" becomes "ellos/ellas/ustedes sirvieron" instead of "ellos/ellas/ustedes servieron." An example sentence could be "Ellos sirvieron los platos en el banquete" which means "They served the dishes at the banquet."
Conclusion
The conjugation of "servir" in the preterite tense is straightforward and follows the regular patterns of most -ir verbs. By understanding and practicing these conjugations, you will be able to talk about past actions involving serving in Spanish. Remember to pay attention to the slight stem change in the first-person singular and third-person plural forms. Keep practicing and soon enough, you will master the preterite tense of "servir" and other verbs in Spanish!
