The Spanish preterite tense is your go-to for talking about completed actions in the past. Regular verbs in this tense follow clear patterns based on their infinitive endings (-ar, -er, or -ir). Let’s master these patterns!
Forming the Preterite Tense
To form the preterite tense for regular verbs:
- Remove the infinitive ending: Drop the -ar, -er, or -ir from the end of the verb.
- Add the appropriate preterite ending: Each subject pronoun (yo, tú, etc.) has a specific ending to add to the verb stem.
General Conjugation Pattern
The general structure for regular verbs in the preterite is:
- yo: [stem] + ending
- tú: [stem] + ending
- él/ella/usted: [stem] + ending
- nosotros/nosotras: [stem] + ending
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: [stem] + ending
Examples in Action
- hablar (to speak):
- Yo hablé con mi jefe ayer. (I spoke with my boss yesterday.)
- Ellos hablaron por teléfono. (They spoke on the phone.)
- comer (to eat):
- Tú comiste demasiado en la fiesta. (You ate too much at the party.)
- Nosotros comimos en un restaurante nuevo. (We ate at a new restaurant.)
- vivir (to live):
- Ella vivió en París por dos años. (She lived in Paris for two years.)
When to Use the Preterite Tense
Use the preterite tense to express:
- Completed actions in the past: Ayer terminé mi proyecto. (Yesterday I finished my project.)
- Actions at a specific time: El tren salió a las 3 de la tarde. (The train left at 3 in the afternoon.)
- Actions with a clear beginning and end: Estudié español por dos años. (I studied Spanish for two years.)
- Actions that interrupted another action: Cuando llegué, ellos ya se habían ido. (When I arrived, they had already left.)
- A series of completed actions: Me levanté, me duché y salí de casa. (I got up, showered, and left home.)
A Note on Irregular Verbs
While regular verbs follow the patterns above, many common Spanish verbs have irregular conjugations in the preterite tense. Don’t worry, though! You can master those too with practice.
Synonyms:
- English: Regular Simple Past, Past Simple, Preterite, Past Indefinite Tense, Historical Past Verbs
- Spanish: Verbos Regulares en Pretérito Indefinido