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Pedir Conjugation: Preterite & Imperfect

/in /by

The Spanish verb ”pedir” means ‘to ask for’ or ‘to order’, but it can also be used in plenty of expressions. In this lesson we study its use in two different past tenses – the preterite and the imperfect – through daily life conversations and examples.
Using the Verb Pedir
When was the last time you asked for advice? Did you order food online last week? Did you borrow something from your siblings or friends? To have these conversations with Spanish speakers you’ll need to know the verb pedir (pronounced: peh-DEER), which means ‘to ask for’ or ‘to order’, but can be used in different expressions as well.

In this lesson, we study its conjugation in the past, taking a close look at the differences between the preterite and the imperfect. We’ll see how to use pedir in various settings and useful expressions through conversations between Sara and her friends.

Meanings of Pedir
Apart from its basic meanings (‘to ask for’ and ‘to order’), the verb pedir can be part of many expressions which are commonly used by native speakers. Let’s see the most important ones:

Spanish Pronunciation Translation
pedir un deseo (peh-DEER oon deh-SEH-oh) to make a wish
pedir consejo (peh-DEER kohn-SEH-hoh) to ask for advice
pedir disculpas/
pedir perdón (peh-DEER dees-KOOL-pahs/
peh-DEER pehr-DOHN) to apologize
pedir prestado (peh-DEER prehs-TAH-doh) to borrow
Translation: To make a wish
wish
Preterite of Pedir
Let’s see the preterite now. We use this tense to talk about finished actions in the past. You could use pedir in the preterite to say what you ordered last night or that you borrowed something last week or at any point in the past.

To conjugate pedir in the preterite, use its stem ped- for all forms, EXCEPT FOR the third person (both singular and plural), which require the irregular stem pid-. Then, add the preterite endings and you’ll have the conjugation.

VERB: pedir (peh-DEER) – to ask for/order
Subject
Pronoun Preterite
Conjugation Pronunciation Translation
yo pedí (peh-DEE) I asked for/ordered
tú pediste (peh-DEES-teh) you asked for/ordered
él/ella
usted pidió (pee-DYOH) he/she asked for/ordered
you (formal) asked for/ordered
nosotros
nosotras pedimos (peh-DEE-mohs) we asked for/ordered
vosotros
vosotras pedisteis (peh-DEES-tays) you all asked for/ordered
ellos/ellas
ustedes pidieron (pee-DYEH-rohn) they asked for/ordered
you all asked for/ordered
Note: Only Spaniards use the form vosotros/as when addressing a group of people in an informal situation. In the rest of Spanish-speaking countries, the form ustedes is always used.

Examples in the Preterite
Sara has just popped in to say hello to her friend Alejandra and give her a book she has asked her.

Sara: Aquí está el libro que me pediste. (Here is the book you asked me for.)

Alejandra: ¡Muchas gracias! (Thank you very much!)

Sara: ¿Vamos a la playa este finde? (Shall we go to the beach this weekend?) Le pedí prestado el coche a mi hermano. (I borrowed my brother’s car.)

Alejandra: Perfecto, tengo muchas ganas. (Perfect, I’m looking forward to it.)

¿Quieres quedarte a cenar? (Would you like to stay for dinner?) Mi hermano y yo pedimos comida hace diez minutos. (My brother and I ordered some food ten minutes ago.)

Sara: ¿Qué pidieron? (What did you (both) ordered?)

Alejandra: Pedimos comida mexicana. (We ordered Mexican food.) ¿Te gusta? (Do you like it?)

Sara: Sí, mi madre la pidió la semana pasada y nos encantó. (Yes, my mom ordered it last week and we loved it.)

Pedimos comida mexicana. (We ordered Mexican food.)
mexican
Notice the structure pronoun + pedir prestado + object + a + person.

Imperfect of Pedir
The imperfect is also a past tense, but we use it to talk about actions that had duration or were repeated in the past. We normally use it to describe past routines or talk about our childhood. Notice that the preterite, in contrast, is used for one-time events or actions that happened momentarily.

The good news is that pedir is regular in the imperfect, so just add the following endings to its stem ped-:

VERB: pedir (peh-DEER) – to ask for/order

 
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