Preterite - Pretérito Indefinido
The preterite is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish. It is used when the speaker wants to focus on the beginning or ending of an action in the past.
The table below shows how the preterite is formed for the regular verbs hablar (to speak), correr (to run), and escribir (to write).
Preterite Tense - hablar, correr, and escribir
hablar (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| yo |
hablé
|
(I spoke) |
| tú |
hablaste
|
(you spoke) |
| Ud./él/ella |
habló
|
(you/he/she spoke) |
| nosotros (as) |
hablamos
|
(we spoke) |
| vosotros (as) |
hablasteis
|
(you guys spoke) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas |
hablaron
|
(you all/they spoke) |
correr (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| 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) |
escribir (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| 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 (informal), usted (Ud.) = you (formal), él = he, ella = she, nosotros = we (males/mixed group), nosotras = we (females), vosotros = you guys (informal, males/mixed group), vosotras = you guys (informal, females), ellos = they (males/mixed group), ellas = they(females), ustedes (Uds.) = you all (formal)
Uses of the Preterite Past Tense
Escribí una carta a mi abuela.
I wrote a letter to my grandmother.
I wrote a letter to my grandmother.
Llegamos a casa muy tarde anoche.
We got home very late last night.
We got home very late last night.
Mis hermanos jugaron en el parque todo el día.
My brothers played in the park all day.
My brothers played in the park all day.
Pretérito Indefinido de Verbos - Spanish Preterit Preterite Tense - PASSÉ INDÉFINI DES VERBES
Popular Phrase:
los parques
| Learn Spanish Free
Conjugated Verb:
empalagar - to be cloying / too sweet
[ click for full conjugation ]
