¡Hola! Welcome to a very important milestone in your Spanish learning journey: talking about the past! In this chapter, we introduce the Preterite tense (el pretérito), one of the main ways to discuss completed actions in the past. We'll start with regular -AR verbs. Understanding the preterite will significantly expand your ability to narrate events and share experiences.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
So far, we've focused mainly on the present tense. The Preterite tense allows us to pinpoint actions that happened and were completed at a specific point in the past, or had a clear beginning and end.
(Optional Review): Think of some regular -AR verbs we've learned: hablar (to speak), caminar (to walk), estudiar (to study), comprar (to buy). We'll see how their endings change to indicate a past action.
The Preterite tense (el pretérito indefinido or pretérito perfecto simple) is used to talk about:
Think of it as the simple past tense in English (e.g., I talked, she ate, they went).
To conjugate regular -AR verbs in the Preterite, you remove the -ar ending from the infinitive and add the following endings:
| Pronoun | -AR Ending | Example: hablar (to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablé (I spoke) |
| tú | -aste | hablaste (you spoke) |
| él/ella/usted | -ó | habló (he/she/you spoke) |
| nosotros/as | -amos | hablamos (we spoke) |
| vosotros/as | -asteis | hablasteis (you all spoke - Spain) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -aron | hablaron (they/you all spoke) |
Important Note: The "nosotros/as" form (-amos) for -AR verbs in the Preterite is identical to the "nosotros/as" form in the Present tense! Context will usually make the meaning clear.
Caminar (to walk):
Estudiar (to study):
Comprar (to buy):
Master preterite -AR verb conjugations.
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Instructions: Circle the preterite ending in each conjugated verb.
(Answers are bolded above for self-check.)
Instructions: Match the pronoun with the correct preterite form of "cantar" (to sing).
yo ( ) cantasteis
tú ( ) cantaron
él ( ) canté
nosotros ( ) cantaste
vosotros ( ) cantó
ellas ( ) cantamosAnswer Key:
yo → canté
tú → cantaste
él → cantó
nosotros → cantamos
vosotros → cantasteis
ellas → cantaronInstructions: Write the correct preterite form of the verb in parentheses.
Answer Key:
Instructions: Write three original sentences in Spanish using different regular -AR verbs in the preterite tense and a time expression (e.g., ayer, anoche, la semana pasada).
(Answers will vary. Example: Anoche yo cené pizza.)
Instructions: In pairs, take turns asking and answering what you did yesterday, using regular -AR verbs in the preterite.
Example:
Student A: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? (What did you do yesterday?)
Student B: Ayer, yo caminé en el parque. ¿Y tú? (Yesterday, I walked in the park. And you?)
Student A: Yo estudié español. (I studied Spanish.)(Note: "hiciste" is the preterite of "hacer" - to do/make, an irregular verb we'll cover soon. For now, focus on using regular -AR verbs in your answers.)
Being able to talk about past events is crucial for sharing personal stories, recounting history, and general conversation. The preterite tense is fundamental for narrating specific completed actions in Spanish-speaking cultures, just as it is in English.
When people share what they did "last weekend" (el fin de semana pasado) or "yesterday" (ayer), the preterite is the go-to tense for those specific, finished events.
The Preterite tense (el pretérito) is your go-to tense for talking about actions that were completed in the past. Think of them as events that have a clear beginning and a clear end, viewed as a single whole unit.
Example: Ayer compré un libro. (Yesterday I bought a book.)
The action of buying is finished. It happened, and it's done. This is different from describing ongoing actions in the past or habitual past actions, for which you'll learn another past tense (the Imperfect) later.
For regular -AR verbs in the Preterite, the accent marks on the yo form (-é) and the él/ella/usted form (-ó) are extremely important. They not only indicate correct pronunciation (stress) but also distinguish these forms from other tenses or persons.
Compare:
Key takeaway: Always include the accent marks on -é and -ó in the Preterite of -AR verbs. Forgetting them can change the meaning or make the word incorrect.
Let's read about what happened last Saturday.
El sábado pasado, yo trabajé por la mañana. Después, yo caminé al mercado. En el mercado, yo compré frutas y verduras.
Por la tarde, mis amigos y yo preparamos la cena juntos. María cocinó el pollo y Pedro preparó la ensalada. Nosotros hablamos y escuchamos música.
Después de la cena, nosotros miramos una película en la televisión. La película terminó tarde. Fue un sábado muy bueno.
Last Saturday, I worked in the morning. Afterwards, I walked to the market. At the market, I bought fruits and vegetables.
In the afternoon, my friends and I prepared dinner together. María cooked the chicken and Pedro prepared the salad. We talked and listened to music.
After dinner, we watched a movie on television. The movie finished late. It was a very good Saturday.
hablar (to speak), caminar (to walk), estudiar (to study), comprar (to buy), trabajar (to work), visitar (to visit), mirar (to watch), bailar (to dance), cocinar (to cook), preparar (to prepare), escuchar (to listen), terminar (to finish).
Time expressions: ayer, anoche, anteayer, la semana pasada, el mes pasado, el año pasado, hace [tiempo], una vez, de repente.
Preterite tense endings for regular -AR verbs (-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron). Usage of Preterite for completed past actions.
¡Buen trabajo! You've taken your first step into the Spanish past tense with regular -AR verbs. In the next chapter, we'll continue with the Preterite tense, learning how to conjugate regular -ER and -IR verbs. This will further expand your ability to talk about past events!