What you’ll learn
- Form the regular preterite for -ar, -er and -ir verbs.
- Narrate events viewed as completed wholes.
- Distinguish hablo from habló and trabajé from trabaje.
View an event as a completed whole
The preterite presents an event as a bounded whole in the past. It works well for a sequence: Llegué, compré una entrada y entré. Time expressions such as ayer, anoche and la semana pasada often provide a finished context. A long event can also use the preterite when it is viewed as a whole; duration alone does not determine the tense.
Regular -ar endings are -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis and -aron: hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron. Written accents distinguish forms such as hablo, I speak, from habló, he/she spoke. Nosotros hablamos looks the same in present and preterite, so the context carries the time distinction.
Ayer compré pan.
Yesterday I bought bread.
Clara trabajó toda la mañana.
Clara worked all morning.
Llegamos a las ocho y cenamos.
We arrived at eight and had dinner.
Try it now
This practice is free. Your answer stays on this page.
Regular -er and -ir verbs
Regular -er and -ir verbs share preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis and -ieron. Comer gives comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron; vivir gives viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron. Keep the subject clear and say the stressed syllable carefully.
The preterite is one way to describe the past, not a replacement for every English past form. A later lesson contrasts it with the imperfect for background and habits. For now, write a short timeline with specific completed events. Avoid adding extra tense shifts until you can form the regular pattern confidently.
Comimos a las dos.
We ate at two.
Ana escribió un mensaje.
Ana wrote a message.
Viví allí durante dos años.
I lived there for two years.
Try it now
This practice is free. Your answer stays on this page.
Useful vocabulary
- ayer
- yesterday
- anoche
- last night
- la semana pasada
- last week
Common mistakes
- Do not omit the accent in habló or comí.
- A long but bounded event can use the preterite.
- Nosotros forms such as hablamos and vivimos need context to identify the tense.
Keep these ideas
- The preterite presents a past event as a completed whole.
- Regular -er and -ir verbs share their preterite endings.
- Time expressions and accents help distinguish meaning.
Use it in your life
Retell a story as a three-event timeline using primero, después and al final. Choose completed actions rather than background descriptions.
Read it in context
Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.
Read a public A2 storyLesson quiz
5 equally weighted questions. Score 80% or higher to complete this lesson. You can retry as often as you need.
Checking learning access…