Preterite - er and ir verbs
Let's consider the preterite tense of regular -er and -ir verbs. To determine the correct forms of a verb, we start with its infinitive form. The infinitive form of the verb meaning (to run) in Spanish is (correr).
Now we take off the -er ending:
correr - er = corr
Now we add on one of the preterite tense endings. The ending chosen will depend upon the gender of the subject and whether it is singular or plural.
Endings for -er and -ir verbs in the preterite tense
| yo | í | |
| tú | iste | |
| Ud./ él/ ella | ió | |
| nosotros | imos | |
| vosotros | isteis | |
| Uds./ ellos/ ellas | ieron |
Preterite forms of the verb correr (to run)
correr (example sentences)(full conjugation)
| yo | corrí |
(I ran) |
| tú | corriste |
(you ran) |
| Ud./él/ella | corrió |
(you/he/she ran) |
| nosotros (as) | corrimos |
(we ran) |
| vosotros (as) | corristeis |
(you guys ran) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | corrieron |
(you all/they ran) |
Preterite forms of the verb escribir (to write)
escribir (example sentences) (full conjugation)
| yo | escribí |
(I wrote) |
| tú | escribiste |
(you wrote) |
| Ud./él/ella | escribió |
(you/he/she wrote) |
| nosotros (as) | escribimos |
(we wrote) |
| vosotros (as) | escribisteis |
(you guys wrote) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | escribieron |
(you all/they wrote) |
Footnote: Yo = I, Tú = You (casual), Él, Ella, Usted = He, She, You
(formal), Nosotros = We (males/mixed group), Nosotras = We (females), Ellos
= They (males/mixed group), Ellas = They(females), Ustedes = You (plural)
(formal), Nosotros = We (males/mixed group), Nosotras = We (females), Ellos
= They (males/mixed group), Ellas = They(females), Ustedes = You (plural)
Category: General Spanish