Preterite Spelling Changes: -car, -gar, -zar
Practice the yo-form orthographic shifts in -car, -gar, and -zar preterite verbs and the sound logic behind them.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What spelling change happens to -car verbs in the preterite yo form?
c → qu (buscar → busqué), to keep the hard "k" sound before -é.
What spelling change happens to -gar verbs in the preterite yo form?
g → gu (llegar → llegué), to keep the hard "g" sound before -é.
What spelling change happens to -zar verbs in the preterite yo form?
z → c (empezar → empecé). The sound doesn't change; Spanish just avoids writing "ze".
Which preterite forms are affected by these changes?
Only the yo form. All other endings begin with -a or -ó, so the hard sound is already safe: buscaste, buscó, buscamos, buscasteis, buscaron.
Are -car/-gar/-zar verbs truly irregular?
No — they're orthographic (spelling) changes. They sound perfectly regular; only the written yo form shifts.
Conjugate jugar in the preterite yo form (and note the trap).
jugué — the u→ue present stem change disappears in the preterite, so never *juegué.
Is it empezaste or empiezaste in the preterite?
empezaste. -ar and -er stem changes vanish entirely in the preterite.
Preterite yo of almorzar, cruzar, and abrazar?
almorcé, crucé, abracé.
Where else does this same qu-/gu-/c- alternation appear?
In the present subjunctive and usted/ustedes commands (and negative tú commands): busque, llegue, no cruces.
Why is the -izar family so valuable to learn?
Dozens of verbs (organizar, realizar, memorizar, analizar) all follow the same z→c rule: organicé, realicé, memoricé.
