The preterite tense describes actions that are done and over with. It’s used for things like telling what happened, when it happened, and what the sequence of events was. It’s common in storytelling and reporting past events.
Basic Rules
- Simple past tense to describe completed actions.
- Specifies when something happened (e.g., yesterday, last year).
- Can be used for a single action, repeated action, or an action that interrupted another.
Signal Words
- ayer (yesterday)
- anoche (last night)
- la semana pasada (last week)
- hace dos días (two days ago)
- el año pasado (last year)
Conjugations
Below are the regular conjugations for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the preterite tense. For -er and -ir verbs, the endings are the same.
| Pronoun | -ar (hablar) | -er (comer) | -ir (vivir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| él/ella/usted | habló | comió | vivió |
| nosotros | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| vosotros | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ayer hablé con mi madre. | Yesterday I spoke with my mother. |
| Comimos pizza anoche. | We ate pizza last night. |
| Vivieron en Madrid por dos años. | They lived in Madrid for two years. |
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs have irregular stems or are irregular in the preterite. Below are common irregular verbs and their conjugations in the yo form as examples.
| Verb | yo Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ser/ir | fui | I was / I went |
| hacer | hice | I did/made |
| tener | tuve | I had |
| estar | estuve | I was |
| poder | pude | I could |
| decir | dije | I said |
| ver | vi | I saw |
| dar | di | I gave |
Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Fui al cine ayer. | I went to the movies yesterday. |
| Hiciste la tarea anoche. | You did the homework last night. |
| Tuvieron una fiesta el sábado. | They had a party on Saturday. |
Practice Tips
- Look for signal words like ayer or la semana pasada.
- Remember to use the preterite stem for irregular verbs.
- Pay attention to context: is the action finished and specific in time?
- Use a timeline to visualize completed actions.
- Compare with imperfect: preterite is for “completed” actions, imperfect is for “ongoing/descriptive” past actions.
Flashcards (1 of 6)
- English: Yesterday I spoke with my mother.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
