Note
Studied by 6 peopleEl Preterite
Regular Verbs
AR | ER / IR | |
yo | é | í |
tú | aste | iste |
él / ella / usted | ó | ió |
nosotros | amos | imos |
vosotros | asteis | isteis |
ellos / ellas / ustedes | aron | ieron |
Irregular Verbs
Four of the most common verbs with irregular preterite forms are ser, ir, dar, and ver.
Subject | Ser | Ir | Dar | Ver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
yo | fui | fui | di | vi |
tú | fuiste | fuiste | diste | viste |
él, ella, usted | fue | fue | dio | vio |
nosotros | fuimos | fuimos | dimos | vimos |
vosotros | fuisteis | fuisteis | disteis | visteis |
ellos, ellas, ustedes | fueron | fueron | dieron | vieron |
Uses of El Preterite
Overall, the preterite is used to talk about completed actions in the past.
(1) Completed Events
Compré un coche nuevo.
I bought a new car.
Paola y Mario se casaron.
Paola and Mario got married.
Me levanté, me vestí, y salí para la fiesta.
I got up, got dressed, and left for the party.
(2) Beginnings and Ends
Key verbs used to talk about beginnings & ends in the past are empezar (to start), comenzar (to begin), terminar (to finish), and acabar (to end).
Emepzó a nevar.
It began to snow.
La película terminó with a surprise.
The movie ended with a surprise.
(3) Specific Times & Dates
Regresé anoche a las diez.
I got back in last night at ten.
Leíste este libro el mes pasado.
You read this book last month.