- Understand when to use the preterite tense for completed actions in the past
- Master regular preterite conjugations for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs
- Learn common irregular preterite verbs including ser/ir, tener, hacer, and estar
- Recognise preterite time expressions like ayer, anoche, and la semana pasada
- Apply correct accent marks to distinguish preterite from present tense forms
What You'll Learn
Overview
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".
Completed Past Actions - A Snapshot in Time
English
"I walked to school"
(simple past)
Spanish
Caminé a la escuela(preterite)
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.
Time Markers That Signal Preterite
These expressions typically indicate completed, one-time past actions:
ayeranochela semana pasadael mes pasadoel año pasadohace + timede repenteuna vezdos vecesprimeroluegofinalmente
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- + endings
Endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron
-ER/-IR Verbs (Same Endings!)
comer → com-, vivir → viv-
Endings: -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
Complete Preterite Conjugation Tables
hablar (to speak) - AR verb
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | I spoke |
| tú | hablaste | you spoke |
| él/ella | habló | he/she spoke |
| nosotros | hablamos | we spoke |
| vosotros | hablasteis | you all spoke |
| ellos | hablaron | they spoke |
comer (to eat) - ER verb
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comí | I ate |
| tú | comiste | you ate |
| él/ella | comió | he/she ate |
| nosotros | comimos | we ate |
| vosotros | comisteis | you all ate |
| ellos | comieron | they ate |
vivir (to live) - IR verb
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | viví | I lived |
| tú | viviste | you lived |
| él/ella | vivió | he/she lived |
| nosotros | vivimos | we lived |
| vosotros | vivisteis | you all lived |
| ellos | vivieron | they lived |
hablar (to speak) - AR verb
yohabléI spoke
túhablasteyou spoke
él/ellahablóhe/she spoke
nosotroshablamoswe spoke
vosotroshablasteisyou all spoke
elloshablaronthey spoke
comer (to eat) - ER verb
yocomíI ate
túcomisteyou ate
él/ellacomióhe/she ate
nosotroscomimoswe ate
vosotroscomisteisyou all ate
elloscomieronthey ate
vivir (to live) - IR verb
yovivíI lived
túvivisteyou lived
él/ellavivióhe/she lived
nosotrosvivimoswe lived
vosotrosvivisteisyou all lived
ellosvivieronthey lived
Common Irregular Preterite Verbs
These verbs have completely irregular stems and endings in the preterite. They must be memorised!
ser/ir (to be/to go) - Identical forms!
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | I was/went |
| tú | fuiste | you were/went |
| él/ella | fue | he/she was/went |
| nosotros | fuimos | we were/went |
| vosotros | fuisteis | you all were/went |
| ellos | fueron | they were/went |
tener (to have)
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tuve | I had |
| tú | tuviste | you had |
| él/ella | tuvo | he/she had |
| nosotros | tuvimos | we had |
| vosotros | tuvisteis | you all had |
| ellos | tuvieron | they had |
hacer (to do/make)
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hice | I did/made |
| tú | hiciste | you did/made |
| él/ella | hizo | he/she did/made |
| nosotros | hicimos | we did/made |
| vosotros | hicisteis | you all did/made |
| ellos | hicieron | they did/made |
ser/ir (to be/to go)
yofuiI was/went
túfuisteyou were/went
él/ellafuehe/she was/went
nosotrosfuimoswe were/went
vosotrosfuisteisyou all were/went
ellosfueronthey were/went
tener (to have)
yotuveI had
tútuvisteyou had
él/ellatuvohe/she had
nosotrostuvimoswe had
vosotrostuvisteisyou all had
ellostuvieronthey had
hacer (to do/make)
yohiceI did/made
túhicisteyou did/made
él/ellahizohe/she did/made
nosotroshicimoswe did/made
vosotroshicisteisyou all did/made
elloshicieronthey did/made
Other Common Irregular Preterite Verbs
estar(to be (location))
yo estuve
nosotros estuvimos
tú estuviste
vosotros estuvisteis
él/ella estuvo
ellos/ellas estuvieron
poder(to be able to)
yo pude
nosotros pudimos
tú pudiste
vosotros pudisteis
él/ella pudo
ellos/ellas pudieron
poner(to put)
yo puse
nosotros pusimos
tú pusiste
vosotros pusisteis
él/ella puso
ellos/ellas pusieron
saber(to know)
yo supe
nosotros supimos
tú supiste
vosotros supisteis
él/ella supo
ellos/ellas supieron
venir(to come)
yo vine
nosotros vinimos
tú viniste
vosotros vinisteis
él/ella vino
ellos/ellas vinieron
dar(to give)
yo di
nosotros dimos
tú diste
vosotros disteis
él/ella dio
ellos/ellas dieron
ver(to see)
yo vi
nosotros vimos
tú viste
vosotros visteis
él/ella vio
ellos/ellas vieron
decir(to say)
yo dije
nosotros dijimos
tú dijiste
vosotros dijisteis
él/ella dijo
ellos/ellas dijeron
Irregular Preterite Stem Groups
Irregular preterite verbs can be organised into groups that share the same stem pattern. All verbs in a group use the same special endings: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron (no accent marks!).
UV-stem Group
tener → tuv- (tuve, tuviste, tuvo...)
andar → anduv- (anduve, anduviste, anduvo...)
estar → estuv- (estuve, estuviste, estuvo...)
U-stem Group
poder → pud- (pude, pudiste, pudo...)
poner → pus- (puse, pusiste, puso...)
saber → sup- (supe, supiste, supo...)
haber → hub- (hube, hubiste, hubo...)
caber → cup- (cupe, cupiste, cupo...)
I-stem Group
venir → vin- (vine, viniste, vino...)
hacer → hic-/hiz- (hice, hiciste, hizo...)
querer → quis- (quise, quisiste, quiso...)
Stem-Changing -IR Verbs in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, only -ir verbs have stem changes in the preterite, and only in the 3rd person (singular and plural). There are two patterns: o → u and e → i.
dormir (o → u) - to sleep
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dormí |
| tú | dormiste |
| él/ella | durmióo→u |
| nosotros | dormimos |
| vosotros | dormisteis |
| ellos/ellas | durmierono→u |
Also: morir → murió/murieron
pedir (e → i) - to ask for
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pedí |
| tú | pediste |
| él/ella | pidióe→i |
| nosotros | pedimos |
| vosotros | pedisteis |
| ellos/ellas | pidierone→i |
Also: sentir → sintió/sintieron, servir → sirvió/sirvieron, repetir → repitió/repitieron
I → Y Spelling Changes
Rule: When an unstressed i falls between two vowels, it changes to y.
This affects the 3rd person singular and plural of -er/-ir verbs whose stems end in a vowel. The other forms get an accent on the í.
leer (to read)
yo leí | él leyó | ellos leyeron
oír (to hear)
yo oí | él oyó | ellos oyeron
creer (to believe)
yo creí | él creyó | ellos creyeron
caer (to fall)
yo caí | él cayó | ellos cayeron
construir (to build)
yo construí | él construyó | ellos construyeron
The -UCIR Verb Pattern
Verbs ending in -ucir share a J-stem pattern with unique endings. Note: the 3rd person plural ending is -eron (not -ieron) after the J-stem.
conducir (to drive) → conduj-
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | conduje |
| tú | condujiste |
| él/ella | condujo |
| nosotros | condujimos |
| vosotros | condujisteis |
| ellos/ellas | condujeron |
Same Pattern Applies To:
traducir → traduje, tradujiste, tradujo...
producir → produje, produjiste, produjo...
reducir → reduje, redujiste, redujo...
introducir → introduje, introdujiste, introdujo...
Remember: 3rd person plural is -eron (not -ieron) after j
Examples
Preterite Time Expressions
ayer
Ayer comí pizza
Yesterday I ate pizza
anoche
Anoche estudié mucho
Last night I studied a lot
la semana pasada
La semana pasada viajé
Last week I travelled
el año pasado
El año pasado me gradué
Last year I graduated
hace + time
Hace dos días llegué
Two days ago I arrived
de repente
De repente llovió
Suddenly it rained
A Story in the Preterite
Start
Ayer fui al supermercado
Yesterday I went to the supermarket
Action
Compré frutas y verduras
I bought fruits and vegetables
Action
En casa, cociné una cena
At home, I cooked a dinner
Together
Mi familia comió conmigo
My family ate with me
Activity
Después vimos una película
Afterwards we watched a movie
End
Todos nos acostamos temprano
We all went to bed early
Common Preterite Sentences
Question
¿Qué hiciste ayer?
What did you do yesterday?
Answer
Fui al cine con mis amigos
I went to the cinema with my friends
Question
¿Dónde compraste eso?
Where did you buy that?
Answer
Lo compré en el centro
I bought it in the centre
Question
¿Cuándo llegaron?
When did they arrive?
Answer
Llegaron a las tres
They arrived at three
Common Mistakes
Don't Mix Up Accent Marks
Preterite forms need accent marks to distinguish them from present tense:
Present (habitual):
habloI speak
Preterite (completed):
hablóhe spoke
Orthographic (Spelling) Changes in the Yo Form
These changes preserve the original pronunciation when the ending starts with -é. They only affect the yo form - all other forms are regular.
-car → -qué (c → qu)
buscar → busqué
Busqué mis llaves
Also: tocar → toqué, sacar → saqué, explicar → expliqué
-gar → -gué (g → gu)
pagar → pagué
Pagué la cuenta
Also: llegar → llegué, jugar → jugué, entregar → entregué
-zar → -cé (z → c)
empezar → empecé
Empecé el proyecto
Also: almorzar → almorcé, cruzar → crucé, comenzar → comencé
Verbs That Change Meaning in the Preterite
Some verbs like conocer, saber, querer, poder, and tener convey different meanings in the preterite because the completed aspect shifts the interpretation.
Conocí a María = I met María (first meeting) vs Conocía a María = I knew María
See full guide to meaning changes →Preterite vs Present Perfect
Use preterite for specific completed actions with a defined time, not present perfect:
Preterite (specific time):
Ayer comí paellaYesterday I ate paella
Present perfect (unspecified):
He comido paellaI have eaten paella
Quick Test
Test your understanding of the Spanish preterite tense - regular and irregular forms:
1. How do you say 'I ran' in Spanish?
2. What's the correct preterite form: 'She was at the party'?
3. Choose the correct translation: 'We studied last night'
4. What is the correct preterite form: 'They went to the theater'?
5. Which sentence has the correct preterite form: 'I wrote a letter yesterday'?
6. Choose the irregular preterite: 'He had a great day'
7. What's the correct preterite: 'You (tú) ate pizza'?
8. What's the correct preterite form: 'I started the project'?