El Pretérito de Verbos Regulares

The Preterite of Regular Verbs (-ar)
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  • Regular verbs (-ar): This section covers regular verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir. The examples provide a list of common verbs, their present tense conjugations, and their preterite tense conjugations.

Regular Verbs (-ar)

  • Example: estudiar (to study)

    • Pronouns and their conjugations:

    • yo (I):

      • Present: estudio

      • Preterite: estudié

    • tú (you - informal):

      • Present: estudias

      • Preterite: estudiaste

    • él/ella/usted (he/she/you - formal):

      • Present: estudia

      • Preterite: estudió

    • nosotros (we):

      • Present: estudiamos*

      • Preterite: estudiamos*

    • vosotros (you all - Spain):

      • Present: estudiáis

      • Preterite: estudiasteis

    • ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all):

      • Present: estudian

      • Preterite: estudiaron

  • Note: In regular -ar and -ir verbs, the "nosotros" form is exactly the same in both the present and preterite.

Regular Verbs (-er/-ir)

  • Example: comer (to eat)

    • Additional verbs:

    • deber (should/must)

    • correr (to run)

    • temer (to fear)

    • decidir (to decide)

    • barrer (to sweep)

    • sufrir (to suffer)

  • Example: vivir (to live)

    • The verb "vivir" follows a similar conjugation pattern to -er verbs in the preterite.

Conjugation of "Comer" (-er)

  • Pronouns and their conjugations:

    • yo:

    • Present: como

    • Preterite: comí

    • tú:

    • Present: comes

    • Preterite: comiste

    • él/ella/usted:

    • Present: come

    • Preterite: comió

    • nosotros:

    • Present: comemos

    • Preterite: comimos*

    • vosotros:

    • Present: coméis

    • Preterite: comisteis

    • ellos/ellas/ustedes:

    • Present: comen

    • Preterite: comieron

  • Note: In regular verbs, the "nosotros" form is often highlighted for its similarities or slight differences (it is identical in -ar and -ir verbs).

Regular Verbs (-ir)

  • Example: vivir (to live)

  • Pronouns and their conjugations:

    • yo:

    • Present: vivo

    • Preterite: viví

    • tú:

    • Present: vives

    • Preterite: viviste

    • él/ella/usted:

    • Present: vive

    • Preterite: vivió

    • nosotros:

    • Present: vivimos*

    • Preterite: vivimos*

    • vosotros:

    • Present: vivís

    • Preterite: vivisteis

    • ellos/ellas/ustedes:

    • Present: viven

    • Preterite: vivieron

  • Note: In regular verbs, the "nosotros" form is exactly the same in the present and preterite for -ir endings.

The Preterite of the Verbs "Ser" and "Ir"

  • The Verb "Ser" (to be)

  • Conjugation of "ser" in present and preterite:

    • yo:

    • Present: soy

    • Preterite: fui

    • tú:

    • Present: eres

    • Preterite: fuiste

    • él/ella/usted:

    • Present: es

    • Preterite: fue

    • nosotros:

    • Present: somos

    • Preterite: fuimos

    • vosotros:

    • Present: sois

    • Preterite: fuisteis

    • ellos/ellas/ustedes:

    • Present: son

    • Preterite: fueron

  • The Verb "Ir" (to go)

  • The conjugation of "ir" is identical to "ser" in the preterite:

    • yo:

    • Present: voy

    • Preterite: fui

    • tú:

    • Present: vas

    • Preterite: fuiste

    • él/ella/usted:

    • Present: va

    • Preterite: fue

    • nosotros:

    • Present: vamos

    • Preterite: fuimos

    • vosotros:

    • Present: vais

    • Preterite: fuisteis

    • ellos/ellas/ustedes:

    • Present: van

    • Preterite: fueron

  • Note: The verbs "ser" and "ir" are conjugated exactly the same way in the preterite tense.