The preterite of servir is used to express when someone served something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “They served dinner at 8:00” – “Sirvieron la cena a las 8:00.”
This is an e to i stem-changing verb in the preterite tense. The stem change only occurs in the third person singular (sirvió) and plural (sirvieron) forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Servir (to serve) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | serví |
| Tú | serviste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | sirvió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | servimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | servisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | sirvieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Servir (to serve) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Servir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of servir expresses completed acts of serving or being useful.
To serve (specific instance): Used for serving food or helping, for example Serví la cena a las ocho (I served dinner at eight), or Sirvieron en el ejército (They served in the army).
To be useful: Indicates when something proved useful, for example El consejo me sirvió mucho (The advice served me well).
Examples
Examples of Servir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Serví la cena a las ocho. (I served dinner at eight.)
¿Quién sirvió el vino? (Who served the wine?)
Serviste demasiada comida. (You served too much food.)
Servimos el postre después del plato principal. (We served dessert after the main course.)
Los camareros sirvieron rápidamente. (The waiters served quickly.)
Me sirvió de mucha ayuda tu consejo. (Your advice served me well.)
¿Serviste café para todos? (Did you serve coffee for everyone?)
La experiencia le sirvió de lección. (The experience served as a lesson for him/her.)
Servimos bebidas durante toda la fiesta. (We served drinks throughout the party.)
Sirvieron la comida en platos elegantes. (They served the food on elegant plates.)
Serví los platos con mucho cuidado. (I served the plates very carefully.)
¿Para qué sirvió todo ese esfuerzo? (What did all that effort serve for?)
Serviste a tu país con honor. (You served your country with honor.)
Servimos la cena en el jardín. (We served dinner in the garden.)
Los voluntarios sirvieron en el comedor social. (The volunteers served at the soup kitchen.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Servir (to serve) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo serví | I served |
| Tú serviste | You served |
| Él / Ella / Usted sirvió | He / She / You (formal) served |
| Nosotros / Nosotras servimos | We served |
| Vosotros / Vosotras servisteis | You all served |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes sirvieron | They / You all (formal) served |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.