Preterit Tense Formation - Formacion del preterito
In Spanish, when we talk about things that happened in the past, the verb endings change. Just as in the present tense, when we had different endings depending on the subject, we have different endings for each subject in the preterit also. To change the ending, you must drop the “ar”, “er” or “ir” and replace it with the new ending.
This lesson includes information on:
- Preterit Tense Conjugation of Regular Verbs
- Related Vocabulary
The Preterit Tense is used to express:
- What happened and was completed in the past. For example, "I
lived there."
- What happened a specific number of times in the past. For
example, "He ate there 3 times last week."
| Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
| Subject | Infinitive: Hablar (to speak) | |
| Yo |
hablé | I spoke |
| Tú | hablaste |
You spoke |
| Usted/él/ella | habló | You (formal)/He/She spoke |
| Nosotros | hablamos |
We spoke |
| Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas | hablaron |
You (plural) spoke/They spoke |
| Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
| Subject | Infinitive: Comer (to eat) | |
| Yo |
comí | I ate |
| Tú | comiste |
You ate |
| Usted/él/ella | comió | You (formal)/He/She ate |
| Nosotros | comimos |
We ate |
| Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas | comieron |
You (plural) speak/They ate |
| Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
| Subject | Infinitive: Vivir (to live) | |
| Yo |
viví | I lived |
| Tú | viviste | You lived |
| Usted/él/ella | vivió | You (formal)/He/She lived |
| Nosotros | vivimos |
We lived |
| Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas | vivieron | You (plural) speak/They lived |
2. Related Vocabulary
| Spanish | English Translation |
| Hablar | To speak |
| Yo hablé | I spoke |
| Tú hablaste | You spoke |
| Usted habló | You (formal) spoke |
| Él/ella habló | He/She spoke |
| Nosotros hablamos | We spoke |
| Ustedes hablaron | You spoke |
| Ellos/ellas hablaron | They spoke |
| Comer | To eat |
| Yo comí | I ate |
| Tú comiste | You ate |
| Usted comió | You (formal) ate |
| Él/ella comió | He/She ate |
| Nosotros comimos | We ate |
| Ustedes comieron | You ate |
| Ellos/Ellas comieron | They ate |
| Vivir | To live |
| Yo viví | I lived |
| Tú viviste | You lived |
| Usted vivió | You (formal) lived |
| Él/ella vivió | He/She lived |
| Nosotros vivimos | We lived |
| Ustedes vivieron | You (plural) lived |
| Ellos/ellas vivieron | They lived |
| Aceptar | To accept |
| Acompañar | To accompany |
| Aconsejar | To advise |
| Arreglar | To fix |
| Aumentar | To increase |
| Averiguar | To find out |
| Bailar | To dance |
| Bajar | To descend |
| Celebrar | To celebrate |
| Cantar | To sing |
| Cenar | To have dinner |
| Cocinar | To cook |
| Colocar | To put/place |
| Cortar | To cut |
| Cruzar | To cross |
| Dejar | To let/leave |
| Dibujar | To draw |
| Doblar | To fold/turn |
| Durar | To last |
| Echar | To throw |
| Empujar | To push |
| Entregar | To turn in |
| Esperar | To wait |
| Esquiar | To ski |
| Estacionar | To park |
| Firmar | To sign |
| Grabar | To record |
| Ganar | To win |
| Gastar | To spend |
| Cerrar | To close |
| Confesar | To confess |
| Contar | To tell |
| Costar | To cost |
| Despertar | To wake up |
| Encontrar | To find |
| Mostrar | To show |
| Mover | To move |
| Devolver | To return |
| Recordar | To remember |
| Soñar | To sound |
| Resolver | To resolve |
| Llover | To rain |
| Volver | To return |
| Recomendar | To recommend |
| Sentar(se) | To sit down |
| Defender | To defend |
| Encender | To turn on |
| Entender | To understand |
| Perder | To lose |
| Pensar | To think |
| Nacer | To be born |
| Agradecer | To thank |
| Merecer | To deserve |
| Parecer | To seem |
| Desaparecer | To disappear |
| Aparecer | To appear |
| Pertenecer | To pertain to |
| Obedecer | To obey |
| Conocer | To know |