Mastering Servir Preterite Conjugation: A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding Spanish verb conjugations is crucial for fluency, and among these, the preterite tense holds a significant place when narrating past events. Today, we’ll dive deep into the conjugation of “servir,” the Spanish verb meaning “to serve,” specifically focusing on its preterite form. While “servir” is an irregular verb and featured in the top 100 most used Spanish verbs, mastering its preterite conjugation is easier than you might think with the right guidance.

Let’s explore the intricacies of “servir,” ensuring you grasp not only the preterite but also its broader conjugation across various tenses. This guide will be your go-to resource for understanding and using “servir” effectively in Spanish.

Item	Spanish	English
Infinitive	servir	to serve
Past participle	servido	served
Gerund	sirviendo	serving

Delving into Indicative Tenses of Servir

The indicative mood in Spanish is used to express factual or certain actions. Let’s break down “servir” across the major indicative tenses, paying close attention to the preterite.

Servir in the Indicative Present

The Present Indicative, or “El Presente,” is used for actions happening now, near future events, or general truths. For “servir,” this is how it unfolds:

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	sirvo	I serve
Tú	sirves	you serve
Ella / Él / Usted	sirve	s/he/you (formal) serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	servimos	we serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	servís	you (plural) serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirven	they/you (formal plural) serve

Notice the irregularity in the stem change from “e” to “i” in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

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Mastering Servir in the Indicative Preterite

The Preterite Indicative, or “El Pretérito Indefinido,” is crucial for describing actions completed at a specific point in the past. This is where our keyword, “Servir Preterite Conjugation,” takes center stage. Let’s see how “servir” conjugates in the preterite:

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	serví	I served
Tú	serviste	you served
Ella / Él / Usted	sirvió	s/he/you (formal) served
Nosotras / Nosotros	servimos	we served
Vosotras / Vosotros	servisteis	you (plural) served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirvieron	they/you (formal plural) served

Here, “servir” undergoes a stem change from “e” to “i” in the third person singular and plural forms (sirvió and sirvieron), marking its irregularity in the preterite. This is a key point to remember when using “servir” to talk about past actions.

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Servir in the Indicative Imperfect

The Imperfect Indicative, “El Pretérito Imperfecto,” describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past, or states of being. For “servir,” it’s conjugated as:

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	servía	I used to serve
Tú	servías	you used to serve
Ella / Él / Usted	servía	s/he/you (formal) used to serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	servíamos	we used to serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	servíais	you (plural) used to serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	servían	they/you (formal plural) used to serve

Servir in the Indicative Present Continuous

“El Presente Progresivo,” or Present Continuous, is used for actions happening right now. It’s formed with “estar” + gerund (sirviendo):

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	estoy sirviendo	I am serving
Tú	estás sirviendo	you are serving
Ella / Él / Usted	está sirviendo	s/he/you (formal) is serving
Nosotras / Nosotros	estamos sirviendo	we are serving
Vosotras / Vosotros	estáis sirviendo	you (plural) are serving
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	están sirviendo	they/you (formal plural) are serving

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Servir in the Indicative Informal Future

“El Futuro Próximo,” the Informal Future, expresses immediate future actions using “ir a” + infinitive:

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	voy a servir	I am going to serve
Tú	vas a servir	you are going to serve
Ella / Él / Usted	va a servir	s/he/you (formal) is going to serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	vamos a servir	we are going to serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	vais a servir	you (plural) are going to serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	van a servir	they/you (formal plural) are going to serve

Servir in the Indicative Future

“El Futuro Simple,” or Future Indicative, is used for actions that will happen in the future.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	serviré	I will serve
Tú	servirás	you will serve
Ella / Él / Usted	servirá	s/he/you (formal) will serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	serviremos	we will serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	serviréis	you (plural) will serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	servirán	they/you (formal plural) will serve

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Servir in the Indicative Conditional

“El Condicional Simple,” the Conditional Indicative, expresses hypothetical actions or probabilities.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	serviría	I would serve
Tú	servirías	you would serve
Ella / Él / Usted	serviría	s/he/you (formal) would serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	serviríamos	we would serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	serviríais	you (plural) would serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	servirían	they/you (formal plural) would serve

Servir in the Indicative Present Perfect

“El Pretérito Perfecto,” or Present Perfect Indicative, describes actions completed recently or that have relevance to the present. It’s formed with “haber” + past participle (servido).

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	he servido	I have served
Tú	has servido	you have served
Ella / Él / Usted	ha servido	s/he/you (formal) has served
Nosotras / Nosotros	hemos servido	we have served
Vosotras / Vosotros	habéis servido	you (plural) have served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	han servido	they/you (formal plural) have served

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Servir in the Indicative Past Perfect

“El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto,” or Past Perfect Indicative, describes actions completed before another past action. It uses “haber” (imperfect) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	había servido	I had served
Tú	habías servido	you had served
Ella / Él / Usted	había servido	s/he/you (formal) had served
Nosotras / Nosotros	habíamos servido	we had served
Vosotras / Vosotros	habíais servido	you (plural) had served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habían servido	they/you (formal plural) had served

Servir in the Indicative Future Perfect

“El Futuro Perfecto,” or Future Perfect Indicative, describes actions that will be completed by a certain time in the future. It uses “haber” (future) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	habré servido	I will have served
Tú	habrás servido	you will have served
Ella / Él / Usted	habrá servido	s/he/you (formal) will have served
Nosotras / Nosotros	habremos servido	we will have served
Vosotras / Vosotros	habréis servido	you (plural) will have served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habrán servido	they/you (formal plural) will have served

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Servir in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

“El Condicional Perfecto,” or Conditional Perfect Indicative, expresses what would have happened in the past under certain conditions. It uses “haber” (conditional) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	habría servido	I would have served
Tú	habrías servido	you would have served
Ella / Él / Usted	habría servido	s/he/you (formal) would have served
Nosotras / Nosotros	habríamos servido	we would have served
Vosotras / Vosotros	habríais servido	you (plural) would have served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habrían servido	they/you (formal plural) would have served

Exploring Subjunctive Tenses of Servir

The subjunctive mood expresses uncertainty, wishes, emotions, and hypothetical situations. Let’s see how “servir” conjugates in the subjunctive.

Servir in the Subjunctive Present

“El Presente de Subjuntivo,” or Present Subjunctive, is used in dependent clauses to express desires, doubts, or possibilities.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	sirva	I serve
Tú	sirvas	you serve
Ella / Él / Usted	sirva	s/he/you (formal) serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	sirvamos	we serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	sirváis	you (plural) serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirvan	they/you (formal plural) serve

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Servir in the Subjunctive Imperfect

“El Imperfecto Subjuntivo,” or Imperfect Subjunctive, refers to past subjunctive actions, often in “if” clauses or to express opinions about past events.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	sirviera	I served
Tú	sirvieras	you served
Ella / Él / Usted	sirviera	s/he/you (formal) served
Nosotras / Nosotros	sirviéramos	we served
Vosotras / Vosotros	sirvierais	you (plural) served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirvieran	they/you (formal plural) served

Servir in the Subjunctive Future

“El Futuro de Subjuntivo,” or Future Subjunctive, while less common in modern Spanish, can be found in legal or formal contexts to describe future hypothetical situations.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	sirviere	I will serve
Tú	sirvieres	you will serve
Ella / Él / Usted	sirviere	s/he/you (formal) will serve
Nosotras / Nosotros	sirviéremos	we will serve
Vosotras / Vosotros	sirviereis	you (plural) will serve
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirvieren	they/you (formal plural) will serve

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Servir in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

“El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo,” or Present Perfect Subjunctive, describes actions completed by a certain time, related to present uncertainty. It’s formed with “haber” (subjunctive present) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	haya servido	I have served
Tú	hayas servido	you have served
Ella / Él / Usted	haya servido	s/he/you (formal) have served
Nosotras / Nosotros	hayamos servido	we have served
Vosotras / Vosotros	hayáis servido	you (plural) have served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hayan servido	they/you (formal plural) have served

Servir in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

“El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo,” or Past Perfect Subjunctive, describes actions completed before another past action in subjunctive contexts. It uses “haber” (subjunctive imperfect) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	hubiera servido	I had served
Tú	hubieras servido	you had served
Ella / Él / Usted	hubiera servido	s/he/you (formal) had served
Nosotras / Nosotros	hubiéramos servido	we had served
Vosotras / Vosotros	hubierais servido	you (plural) had served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hubieran servido	they/you (formal plural) had served

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Servir in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

“El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo,” or Future Perfect Subjunctive, is rarely used but describes actions that will have been completed in a hypothetical future scenario. It uses “haber” (subjunctive future) + past participle.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	hubiere servido	I will have served
Tú	hubieres servido	you will have served
Ella / Él / Usted	hubiere servido	s/he/you (formal) will have served
Nosotras / Nosotros	hubiéremos servido	we will have served
Vosotras / Vosotros	hubiereis servido	you (plural) will have served
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hubieren servido	they/you (formal plural) will have served

Imperative Tenses of Servir

The imperative mood is used to give commands or instructions. Let’s look at the affirmative and negative imperatives of “servir.”

Servir in the Imperative Affirmative

“El Imperativo Afirmativo,” or Affirmative Imperative, gives direct commands.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Tú	sirve	serve! (you)
Ella / Él / Usted	sirva	serve! (you formal)
Nosotras / Nosotros	sirvamos	let’s serve!
Vosotras / Vosotros	servid	serve! (you plural)
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	sirvan	serve! (you formal plural)

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Servir in the Imperative Negative

“El Imperativo Negativo,” or Negative Imperative, tells someone not to do something.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Tú	no sirvas	don’t serve! (you)
Ella / Él / Usted	no sirva	don’t serve! (you formal)
Nosotras / Nosotros	no sirvamos	let’s not serve!
Vosotras / Vosotros	no sirváis	don’t serve! (you plural)
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	no sirvan	don’t serve! (you formal plural)

Practical Usage and Example Sentences

To solidify your understanding, let’s look at some example sentences using “servir” in different contexts:

No servirá de nada seguir pensando. (It’s useless to keep on thinking any more. – Future Indicative)
Llorar no sirve de nada. (Crying is of no avail. – Present Indicative)
La cena se sirvió a bordo del avión. (Dinner was served on board the plane. – Preterite Indicative)

Downloadable Cheat Sheets for Servir Conjugation

For your convenience, you can download and print cheat sheets of “Servir” Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format.

Download image

A visual cheat sheet displaying the conjugation of the Spanish verb “servir” in various tenses.

Practice Servir Conjugations with Ella Verbs App

Looking for an interactive way to master “servir” and over 2,300 other Spanish verbs? Ella Verbs is your answer! Available on iOS, Android, and web, Ella Verbs offers comprehensive conjugation tables, guided lessons, and quizzes to test your knowledge. Download it for free and take your Spanish verb skills to the next level!

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