Learn Spanish Preterite Tense

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Understanding the Preterite Tense in Español

The Preterite Tense is a way to talk about actions that happened in the past. These are actions that are completed and have a clear beginning and end.

When to Use the Preterite Tense

Important Points

To describe a single event that happened in the past.
To talk about an action that was completed at a specific point in time.
To describe a series of completed actions in the past.
To talk about actions that happened during a specific time period.

Forming the Preterite Tense

In Español, verbs are divided into three categories based on their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Each category has its own set of endings in the Preterite Tense.

Important Points

-ar verbs: e.g., hablar (to talk) becomes hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron.
-er verbs: e.g., comer (to eat) becomes comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron.
-ir verbs: e.g., vivir (to live) becomes viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron.

Irregular Verbs in the Preterite Tense

Some verbs do not follow the regular patterns and have unique forms in the Preterite Tense. It's important to memorize these irregular verbs.

Examples

Ser/Ir: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Tener: tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron
Hacer: hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron

Examples of the Preterite Tense in Sentences

Examples

Hablé con mi amigo ayer.
Comimos pizza anoche.
Vivieron en España por un año.

By practicing these rules and examples, you can become more comfortable using the Preterite Tense to talk about past events in Español.