Use of the preterite  



Gramática
Spanish has two past tenses, the preterite and the imperfect.
This section will focus on the use of the preterite.

Describe completed actions in the past:

Pasó una semana. - A week went by.
Hablé con el director. - I spoke with the director.
Hice mi tarea. - I did my homework.

State a change in mental state or feelings

This often uses the reflexive form.
Translates to English as: "become + adjective"

Me enfermé del estómago. - I became sick to my stomach.
Se enteró del error. - He found out about the error.
Te enojaste con el jefe . - You got mad at the boss.

Describe beginning or ending of an action

Conocí a Miguel en 1998. - I met Miguel in 1998.

Juan supo las noticias y se enojó.
Juan found out about the news and he got mad.

Tuve que ir a la junta. - I had to go to the meeting.

Sentences
Llegué tarde. - I arrived late.
Hablé con Rosa. - I spoke with Rosa.
Caminé a la tienda. - I walked to the store.
Cantaste una canción. - You sang a song.
Escribiste una carta a tu madre. - You wrote a letter to your mother.
Jugaste con el perro. - You played with the dog.
Trabajamos todo el mes pasado. - We worked all of last month.
Llamamos a Elena y Juan. - We called Elena y Juan.
Comieron en la casa de Rosa. - They ate at Rosa's home.
Ellas recibieron un regalo. - They received a gift.
Creíste en él. - You believed in him.
Te necesité. - I needed you.

Sentences
Me enfermé la semana pasada. - I got sick last week.
Te reíste mucho. - You laughed a lot.
Ella se despidió ayer. - She said good bye yesterday.
Nosotros nos olvidamos de comer. - We forgot to eat.
Ustedes se enteraron de la mala noticía.
Ellos se enojaron con Rosa. - They got upset with Rosa.
Te burlaste de mí. - You made fun of me.
Ellos se enfermaron en el restaurante. - They got sick in the restaurant.
Me sorprendiste con tu llegada. - You surprised me with your arrival.
Usted se rió con Rosa. - You and Rosa laughed.

Sentences
Llegué a Los Ángeles en 1990. - I arrived in LA in 1990.
Conocimos a Pedro hace dos semanas. - We met Pedro 2 weeks ago.
Jugaste tenis el año pasado. - You played tennis last year.
Abrieron el restaurante en agosto del año pasado. - They opened the restaurant in August of last year.
Ella cerró la tienda el mes pasado. - She closed the store last month.
Ustedes cantaron bien. - You sang well.
El domingo corrí tres millas. - On Sunday I ran three miles.
Visitaste a tu abuela. - You visited your grandmother.
Usted caminó dos kilómetros. - You (singular formal) walked 2 kilometers.
Alexander Fleming descubrió la penicilina. - Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.


Notes for the Tutor

  • The student should repeat these simple sentences to practice vocabulary and improve pronunciation.
  • The tutor and the student should make a conversation using the preterite. Be sure to ask the student about the activities that he or she has done in the past.
  • Suggested Homework: The student should make 15 sentences or more using the preterite to practice its usage and conjugation.

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