Preterite Form

what is the preterite?

• The preterite is a past tense verb form, specifically used for one-time actions, which is how it differs from the imperfect form.

things to remember

• verbs with stem changes in the present tense DO NOT have stem changes in the preterite
    * ex. sentir in the present yo form is siento, but conjugates to sentí in the present
• dar and ver both conjugate like er/ir verbs, but NEITHER HAVE ACCENTS

conjugating -ar verbs

this example will be done with viajar in the yo form

1. get a verb - viajar
2. drop the infinitive - viaj~~ar~~
3. use the conjugation list below to find an ending - viajé

4. ¡fin!

conjugating er/ir verbs

this example will be done with beber in the tú form

1. get a verb - beber
2. drop the infinitive - beb~~er~~
3. use the conjugation list below to find an ending - bebiste

4. ¡fin!

irregular verbs

-car, -gar, -zar verbs

• In only the yo form, verbs that end in -car, -gar, or -zar in the preterite follow a pattern:
    * -car → qué | ex. buscar to busqué
    * -gar → gué | ex. llegar to llegué
    * -zar → cé | ex. empezar to empecé