Bendecir in the Preterite Tense
Bendecir means “to bless”, and this page covers exactly one thing: bendecir in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for bendecir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about bendecir in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.” — Yesterday, I blessed his children before bedtime. Everything on this page uses the forms of bendecir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Bendecir in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | bendije |
| tú | bendijiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | bendijo |
| nosotros/as | bendijimos |
| vosotros/as | bendijisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bendijeron |
Gerund: bendiciendo · Past participle: bendecido
The gerund is bendiciendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy bendiciendo” means the action of bendecir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is bendecido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he bendecido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how bendecir is used.
How the preterite of bendecir is formed
Bendecir does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of decir, with a -g- in the present (as in predigo), a -j- stem in the preterite (as in predije), and an irregular participle where one applies. Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Learn the six forms as a set: yo bendije, tú bendijiste, él/ella/Ud. bendijo, nosotros/as bendijimos, vosotros/as bendijisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. bendijeron.
When to use the preterite of bendecir
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use bendecir in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.” — Yesterday, I blessed his children before bedtime.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros bendijimos la casa nueva de la familia.” — We blessed the family's new house.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él bendijo la mesa antes de comer ayer.” — He blessed the table before eating yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos bendijeron a los novios en la boda de repente.” — They blessed the bride and groom at the wedding suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú bendijiste a sus hijos antes de dormir la semana pasada.” — You blessed his children before bedtime last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.” — Yesterday, I blessed his children before bedtime.
Imperfect: “Yo bendecía a sus hijos antes de dormir cada día.” — I used to bless his children before bedtime every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él bendijo la casa nueva de la familia.” — Last night, he blessed the family's new house.
Imperfect: “Él bendecía la casa nueva de la familia todos los días.” — He used to bless the family's new house every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros bendijimos la mesa antes de comer ayer.” — We blessed the table before eating yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros bendecíamos la mesa antes de comer cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to bless the table before eating when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: bendecir in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.” — I blessed his children before bedtime.
“Bendijiste la casa nueva de la familia.” — You blessed the family's new house.
“Bendijo la mesa antes de comer.” — He/she blessed the table before eating.
“Bendijimos a los novios en la boda.” — We blessed the bride and groom at the wedding.
“Bendijisteis a sus hijos antes de dormir.” — You blessed his children before bedtime.
“Bendijeron la casa nueva de la familia.” — They blessed the family's new house.
“Bendije la mesa antes de comer.” — I blessed the table before eating.
“Bendijo a los novios en la boda.” — He/she blessed the bride and groom at the wedding.
Common mistakes with bendecir in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos bendijo a sus hijos antes de dormir.” Right: “Ellos bendijeron a sus hijos antes de dormir.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form bendijeron. The singular bendijo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo bendecí la casa nueva de la familia.” Right: “Ayer yo bendije la casa nueva de la familia.” Why: Bendecir has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is bendije, not the regular bendecí.
Wrong: “Nosotros bendijiste la mesa antes de comer.” Right: “Nosotros bendijimos la mesa antes de comer.” Why: Nosotros needs bendijimos. The tú form bendijiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos bendije a los novios en la boda.” Right: “Ellos bendijeron a los novios en la boda.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form bendijeron, not the yo form bendije.
Quiz: bendecir in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a sus hijos antes de dormir.” (His children before bedtime.)
- (a) bendije
- (b) bendijiste
- (c) bendijo
Answer: bendije — The yo form of bendecir in the preterite is bendije. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la casa nueva de la familia?” (The family's new house.)
- (a) bendije
- (b) bendijo
- (c) bendijiste
Answer: bendijiste — The tú form of bendecir in the preterite is bendijiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la mesa antes de comer.” (The table before eating.)
- (a) bendijiste
- (b) bendijo
- (c) bendije
Answer: bendijo — The él/ella/Ud. form of bendecir in the preterite is bendijo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a los novios en la boda.” (The bride and groom at the wedding.)
- (a) bendijimos
- (b) bendije
- (c) bendijiste
Answer: bendijimos — The nosotros/as form of bendecir in the preterite is bendijimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of bendecir in the preterite?
- (a) bendije
- (b) bendijiste
- (c) bendijisteis
Answer: bendijisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes bendijisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros bendijisteis a sus hijos antes de dormir.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la casa nueva de la familia.” (The family's new house.)
- (a) bendijiste
- (b) bendijeron
- (c) bendije
Answer: bendijeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of bendecir in the preterite is bendijeron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of bendecir in the preterite?
- (a) bendije
- (b) bendijiste
- (c) bendijo
Answer: bendije — The yo form is bendije. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo bendecía a sus hijos antes de dormir cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo bendeciré a sus hijos antes de dormir.
- (c) Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.
Answer: Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir. — “Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is bendecir regular in the preterite?
No. Bendecir has an irregular preterite: bendije, bendijiste, bendijo, bendijimos, bendijisteis, bendijeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of bendecir?
The past participle is bendecido: 'He bendecido' means 'I have blessed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is bendiciendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for bendecir?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo bendije a sus hijos antes de dormir. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo bendecía a sus hijos antes de dormir cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of bendecir?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo bendije, tú bendijiste, él/ella/Ud. bendijo, nosotros/as bendijimos, vosotros/as bendijisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. bendijeron. Then write three of your own sentences with bendecir in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of bendecir — every tense of bendecir in one place.
- Bendecir examples and quiz — more sentences with bendecir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on bendecir and other verbs.