pedá

Pedí is the first-person singular form of the Spanish verb pedir in the preterite tense, meaning “I asked for” or “I requested.” The verb pedir comes from Latin petere and is an irregular -ir verb with a stem change in the preterite.

In the preterite tense, the full paradigm is: yo pedí, tú pediste, él pidió, nosotros pedimos, vosotros pedisteis, ellos pidieron. The third-person forms (él/ella/usted, ellos/ellas/ustedes) show a vowel change from e to i (pidió, pidieron), while the first and second person forms keep the original stem (pedí, pediste, pedimos, pedisteis). This pattern reflects pedir’s overall irregularity in the past tense.

Pedí is used to describe past actions in which the speaker asked for something or requested an action. It can take a direct object, as in “pedí una taza de café” (I asked for a cup of coffee), or appear in phrases like “pedir prestado” (to borrow) and “pedir disculpas” (to apologize). It is distinct from “preguntar,” which means to inquire or ask a question rather than to request something.

Common related forms include: tú pediste, él pidió, nosotros pedimos, vosotros pedisteis, ellos pidieron. In compound tenses, the past participle pedido is used (he pedido, has pedido, etc.), as in “he pedido ayuda” (I have asked for help).

Etymology traces ped- back to Latin petere, with the Spanish form evolving through Old Spanish into the modern paradigm that includes the e→i stem change in certain past forms.