Preterite Tense
Usage
The preterite tense expresses actions that have beencompleted. It is often used for:
- Specific events or actions that happened once.
- Actions that occurred during a specific time frame.
- Sequential actions in the past.
- Actions that interrupt ongoing events.
Key Signal Words
Common time expressions that frequently accompany the preterite include:
- ayer(yesterday)
- anoche(last night)
- el año pasado(last year)
- entonces(then)
- de repente(suddenly)
- una vez(once)
Regular Verbs
The preterite endings are different for-ar,-er, and-irverbs. Here are the sets for regular verbs, usinghablar,comer, andviviras examples.
-ar Verbs (e.g., hablar)
-er Verbs (e.g., comer)
-ir Verbs (e.g., vivir)
Important: Stem-Changing Verbs
- Regular-arand-erverbs donotchange their stem in the preterite.
- Some-irverbs have a stem change in thethird person(singular and plural). For example,dormir→durmió, durmieron.
- This stem change applies only toe → iando → ushifts.
Irregular Verbs
Some common verbs have completely irregular preterite forms. Here are a few examples:
ir / ser (to go / to be)
hacer (to do, to make)
tener (to have)
Sample Sentences
Summary
The preterite tense is used to talk aboutcompleted actionsin the past, especially those that happened at a specific time or in a sequence. Regular verbs follow clear endings for -ar, -er, and -ir groups, while some verbs are irregular and must be memorized. Signal words likeayer,anoche, andde repenteoften accompany the preterite.
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025