The preterite tense
General Notes on the Preterite Tense
- The preterite is used for actions that are completed in the past, typically with a definite beginning and end.
- It answers the question: "What happened?"
Regular Verbs
- Regular verbs in Spanish have distinct endings for each of the three groups: -ar, -er, and -ir.
Preterite Endings for Regular Verbs
-ar Verbs
- yo: é
- tú: aste
- él/ella/Ud.: ó
- nosotros: amos
- vosotros: asteis
- ellos/Uds: aron
-er / -ir Verbs
- yo: í
- tú: iste
- él/ella/Ud.: ió
- nosotros: imos
- vosotros: isteis
- ellos/Uds: ieron
Irregular Preterite Verbs: Meanings & Conjugations
- ir = to go
- ser = to be
- Both verbs share identical forms in the preterite tense.
Irregular Preterite Conjugations for 'ir' and 'ser'
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | fui |
| tú | fuiste |
| él/ella/Ud | fue |
| nosotros | fuimos |
| vosotros | fuisteis |
| ellos/Uds | fueron |
- dar = to give
- hacer = to do, make
Conjugations for 'dar' and 'hacer'
| Pronoun | dar | hacer |
|---|---|---|
| yo | di | hice |
| tú | diste | hiciste |
| él/ella/Ud | dio | hizo |
| nosotros | dimos | hicimos |
| vosotros | disteis | hicisteis |
| ellos/Uds | dieron | hicieron |
More Irregular Preterite Verbs & Their Roots
- The following verbs use special, unique bases (stems) in the preterite tense and share a special set of endings which are as follows: e, iste, o, imos, isteis, ieron/eron for decir and traer
Irregular Verb Stems and Their Conjugations
| Verb | Stem | yo form | tú form | él/ella/Ud | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/Uds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tuv- | tuve | tuviste | tuvo | tuvimos | tuvisteis | tuvieron |
| estar | estu- | estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvisteis | estuvieron |
| decir | dij- | dije | dijiste | dijo | dijimos | dijisteis | dijeron |
| querer | quis- | quise | quisiste | quiso | quisimos | quisisteis | quisieron |
| poder | pud- | pude | pudiste | pudo | pudimos | pudisteis | pudieron |
| saber | sup- | supe | supiste | supo | supimos | supisteis | supieron |
| poner | pus- | puse | pusiste | puso | pusimos | pusisteis | pusieron |
| venir | vin- | vine | viniste | vino | vinimos | vinisteis | vinieron |
| traer | traj- | traje | trajiste | trajo | trajimos | trajisteis | trajeron |
Preterite of Regular -er and -ir Verbs
- Regular -er and -ir verbs are conjugated using the standard endings.
Examples of Regular Verbs in the Preterite
comer (to eat):
- yo: comí
- tú: comiste
- él/ella/Ud.: comió
- nosotros: comimos
- vosotros: comisteis
- ellos/Uds: comieron
vivir (to live):
- yo: viví
- tú: viviste
- él/ella/Ud.: vivió
- nosotros: vivimos
- vosotros: vivisteis
- ellos/Uds: vivieron
Quick Reference of Stem Changes in Preterite
- Many irregular preterite verbs undergo root changes before the addition of regular endings.
Accent Notes
- Most irregular forms in the preterite do not use written accents.