Contradecir in the Preterite Tense
Contradecir means “to contradict”, and this page covers exactly one thing: contradecir 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 contradecir, 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 contradecir in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo contradije a su jefe en la reunión.” — Yesterday, I contradicted his boss in the meeting. Everything on this page uses the forms of contradecir exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Contradecir in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contradije |
| tú | contradijiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contradijo |
| nosotros/as | contradijimos |
| vosotros/as | contradijisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contradijeron |
Gerund: contradiciendo · Past participle: contradicho
The gerund is contradiciendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy contradiciendo” means the action of contradecir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is contradicho, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he contradicho” 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 contradecir is used.
How the preterite of contradecir is formed
Contradecir 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 contradije, tú contradijiste, él/ella/Ud. contradijo, nosotros/as contradijimos, vosotros/as contradijisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. contradijeron.
The irregularity of contradecir is in its past participle, contradicho, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he contradicho, has contradicho, ha contradicho.
When to use the preterite of contradecir
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use contradecir 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 contradije a su jefe en la reunión.” — Yesterday, I contradicted his boss in the meeting.
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 contradijimos sus palabras de ayer.” — We contradicted his words from yesterday.
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 contradijo al testigo en el juicio ayer.” — He contradicted the witness in the trial yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos contradijeron a su amigo sin querer de repente.” — They contradicted his friend without meaning to 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 contradijiste a su jefe en la reunión la semana pasada.” — You contradicted his boss in the meeting 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 contradije a su jefe en la reunión.” — Yesterday, I contradicted his boss in the meeting.
Imperfect: “Yo contradecía a su jefe en la reunión cada día.” — I used to contradict his boss in the meeting 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 contradijo sus palabras de ayer.” — Last night, he contradicted his words from yesterday.
Imperfect: “Él contradecía sus palabras de ayer todos los días.” — He used to contradict his words from yesterday 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 contradijimos al testigo en el juicio ayer.” — We contradicted the witness in the trial yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros contradecíamos al testigo en el juicio cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to contradict the witness in the trial 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: contradecir 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.
“Contradije a su jefe en la reunión.” — I contradicted his boss in the meeting.
“Contradijiste sus palabras de ayer.” — You contradicted his words from yesterday.
“Contradijo al testigo en el juicio.” — He/she contradicted the witness in the trial.
“Contradijimos a su amigo sin querer.” — We contradicted his friend without meaning to.
“Contradijisteis a su jefe en la reunión.” — You contradicted his boss in the meeting.
“Contradijeron sus palabras de ayer.” — They contradicted his words from yesterday.
“Contradije al testigo en el juicio.” — I contradicted the witness in the trial.
“Contradijo a su amigo sin querer.” — He/she contradicted his friend without meaning to.
Common mistakes with contradecir 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 contradijo a su jefe en la reunión.” Right: “Ellos contradijeron a su jefe en la reunión.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form contradijeron. The singular contradijo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo contradecí sus palabras de ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo contradije sus palabras de ayer.” Why: Contradecir has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is contradije, not the regular contradecí.
Wrong: “Nosotros contradijiste al testigo en el juicio.” Right: “Nosotros contradijimos al testigo en el juicio.” Why: Nosotros needs contradijimos. The tú form contradijiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos contradije a su amigo sin querer.” Right: “Ellos contradijeron a su amigo sin querer.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form contradijeron, not the yo form contradije.
Quiz: contradecir 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 su jefe en la reunión.” (His boss in the meeting.)
- (a) contradije
- (b) contradijiste
- (c) contradijo
Answer: contradije — The yo form of contradecir in the preterite is contradije. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ sus palabras de ayer?” (His words from yesterday.)
- (a) contradije
- (b) contradijo
- (c) contradijiste
Answer: contradijiste — The tú form of contradecir in the preterite is contradijiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ al testigo en el juicio.” (The witness in the trial.)
- (a) contradijiste
- (b) contradijo
- (c) contradije
Answer: contradijo — The él/ella/Ud. form of contradecir in the preterite is contradijo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a su amigo sin querer.” (His friend without meaning to.)
- (a) contradijimos
- (b) contradije
- (c) contradijiste
Answer: contradijimos — The nosotros/as form of contradecir in the preterite is contradijimos. 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 contradecir in the preterite?
- (a) contradije
- (b) contradijiste
- (c) contradijisteis
Answer: contradijisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes contradijisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros contradijisteis a su jefe en la reunión.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ sus palabras de ayer.” (His words from yesterday.)
- (a) contradijiste
- (b) contradijeron
- (c) contradije
Answer: contradijeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of contradecir in the preterite is contradijeron. 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 contradecir in the preterite?
- (a) contradije
- (b) contradijiste
- (c) contradijo
Answer: contradije — The yo form is contradije. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo contradecía a su jefe en la reunión cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo contradeciré a su jefe en la reunión.
- (c) Ayer, yo contradije a su jefe en la reunión.
Answer: Ayer, yo contradije a su jefe en la reunión. — “Ayer, yo contradije a su jefe en la reunión.” 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 contradecir regular in the preterite?
No. Contradecir has an irregular preterite: contradije, contradijiste, contradijo, contradijimos, contradijisteis, contradijeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of contradecir?
The past participle is contradicho: 'He contradicho' means 'I have contradicted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is contradiciendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for contradecir?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo contradije a su jefe en la reunión. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo contradecía a su jefe en la reunión cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of contradecir?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo contradije, tú contradijiste, él/ella/Ud. contradijo, nosotros/as contradijimos, vosotros/as contradijisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. contradijeron. Then write three of your own sentences with contradecir in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of contradecir — every tense of contradecir in one place.
- Contradecir examples and quiz — more sentences with contradecir 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 contradecir and other verbs.