Preterite Tense Spanish Grammar | Regular & Irregular Verbs

Overview / Usage

The preterite tense describes completed actions in the past - things that happened and finished at a specific time. Think of it as the Spanish equivalent of the English simple past: "I walked", "She ate", "They went".

⏰ Preterite: Completed Past Actions

The preterite focuses on actions that started and finished in the past. It's like taking a snapshot of completed events.

English Examples:
"I walked to school"
"She finished her homework"
"They arrived yesterday"

Spanish Examples:
"Caminé a la escuela"
"Terminó su tarea"
"Llegaron ayer"

The preterite is used for actions that happened at a specific point in time, lasted for a defined period, or occurred a specific number of times.

Structure & Formation

📋 Regular Preterite Conjugation Patterns

Regular verbs in the preterite follow predictable patterns based on their infinitive endings. Unlike present tense, the preterite has completely different endings that clearly show the action was completed in the past.

-AR Verbs

hablar → habl-
Add: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron

-ER/-IR Verbs

comer/vivir → com-/viv-
Add: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron

🔑 Key Pattern Points:

-ER and -IR verbs share the same preterite endings (unlike present tense!)
Accent marks are crucial: yo/él/ella forms need accents to distinguish from present
No stem changes: Regular preterite uses the infinitive stem throughout
First and third person singular are the most commonly used forms

📊 Complete Preterite Conjugation Tables

-AR Verbs: hablar (to speak)

Singular	Plural
yo hablé I spoke	nosotros hablamos we spoke
tú hablaste you spoke	vosotros hablasteis you all spoke
él/ella habló he/she spoke	ellos/ellas hablaron they spoke

-ER Verbs: comer (to eat)

Singular	Plural
yo comí I ate	nosotros comimos we ate
tú comiste you ate	vosotros comisteis you all ate
él/ella comió he/she ate	ellos/ellas comieron they ate

-IR Verbs: vivir (to live)

Singular	Plural
yo viví I lived	nosotros vivimos we lived
tú viviste you lived	vosotros vivisteis you all lived
él/ella vivió he/she lived	ellos/ellas vivieron they lived

⚠️ Common Irregular Preterite Verbs

These verbs have completely irregular stems and endings in the preterite. They must be memorized!

📊 Common Irregular Preterite Tables

ser/ir (to be/to go)

Both verbs have identical preterite forms!

Singular	Plural
yo fui I was/went	nosotros fuimos we were/went
tú fuiste you were/went	vosotros fuisteis you all were/went
él/ella fue he/she was/went	ellos/ellas fueron they were/went

tener (to have)

Singular	Plural
yo tuve I had	nosotros tuvimos we had
tú tuviste you had	vosotros tuvisteis you all had
él/ella tuvo he/she had	ellos/ellas tuvieron they had

hacer (to do/make)

Singular	Plural
yo hice I did/made	nosotros hicimos we did/made
tú hiciste you did/made	vosotros hicisteis you all did/made
él/ella hizo he/she did/made	ellos/ellas hicieron they did/made

Other Common Irregular Preterite Verbs:

estar → estuve

to be (location)

poder → pude

to be able to

poner → puse

to put

saber → supe

to know

venir → vine

to come

dar → di

to give

ver → vi

to see

decir → dije

to say

Examples

🕐 Preterite Time Expressions

These time expressions often signal that you should use the preterite tense:

ayer

yesterday

Ayer comí pizza

anoche

last night

Anoche estudié mucho

la semana pasada

last week

La semana pasada viajé

el año pasado

last year

El año pasado me gradué

hace dos días

two days ago

Hace dos días llegué

de repente

suddenly

De repente llovió

📖 Story in the Preterite

Ayer fui al supermercado

Yesterday I went to the supermarket

Compré frutas y verduras

I bought fruits and vegetables

En casa, cociné una cena deliciosa

At home, I cooked a delicious dinner

Mi familia comió conmigo

My family ate with me

Después vimos una película

Afterwards we watched a movie

Todos nos acostamos temprano

We all went to bed early

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

❌ Don't Mix Up Accent Marks

Preterite forms need accent marks to distinguish them from present tense:

Present:hablo (I speak)

Preterite:habló (he/she spoke)

💡 Watch Out for Spelling Changes

Some verbs have spelling changes to preserve pronunciation:

buscar → busqué (c → qu before e)

Busqué mis llaves

I looked for my keys

✅ Preterite vs Present Perfect

Use preterite for specific completed actions, not present perfect:

Spanish: Comí (I ate - specific time)

Ayer comí paella

Yesterday I ate paella

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

Useful Resources

Coming soon...

Preterite Tense: Regular and Irregular