Verbs: Preterite Tense — European Spanish Grammar

The Preterite tense (often called the Preterite Indefinite) is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past. It views the event as a finished whole, rather than a continuous process.

In European Spanish, this tense is specifically used for time frames that are considered fully separated from the present moment, such as "yesterday," "last year," or "in 2010."

Regular -ar Verbs

To conjugate regular verbs ending in , remove the ending and add the following suffixes to the stem:

(yo)
(tú)
(él/ella/usted)
(nosotros)
(vosotros)
(ellos/ellas/ustedes)

Note that the first person plural () form is identical to the present tense; context usually clarifies the meaning.

Ayer hablé con mi madre.
Yesterday I spoke with my mother.
Bailasteis muy bien anoche.
You (plural) danced very well last night.
Ellos compraron el coche el año pasado.
They bought the car last year.

Regular -er and -ir Verbs

Verbs ending in and share the exact same set of endings in the preterite tense:

(yo)
(tú)
(él/ella/usted)
(nosotros)
(vosotros)
(ellos/ellas/ustedes)

Comí una ensalada.
I ate a salad.
¿Escribiste la carta?
Did you write the letter?
Vivieron en Barcelona durante dos años.
They lived in Barcelona for two years.

Ser and Ir

The verbs (to be) and (to go) are completely irregular and, uniquely, share the exact same conjugation in the preterite. The meaning is determined entirely by the context of the sentence.

Fui al supermercado.
I went to the supermarket.
La película fue interesante.
The movie was interesting.

Verbs with Irregular Stems

Many common verbs undergo a stem change in the preterite. These verbs use a distinct set of endings that do not take accent marks ().

Common examples include:

(to have) becomes (e.g., , )
(to be) becomes (e.g., , )
(to be able to) becomes (e.g., , )
(to do/make) becomes (e.g., , ). Note that the third person singular is to preserve the pronunciation.

Ayer tuve mucho trabajo.
Yesterday I had a lot of work.
No pudimos entrar.
We couldn't enter.
Ella hizo la cena.
She made dinner.

Spelling Changes for Pronunciation

For regular verbs ending in , , and , a spelling change occurs only in the first person singular () form. This is necessary to preserve the hard sound of the consonant before the vowel .

changes to (e.g., → )
changes to (e.g., → )
changes to (e.g., → )

Busqué las llaves pero no las encontré.
I looked for the keys but didn't find them.
Llegué tarde a la reunión.
I arrived late to the meeting.
Empecé a leer un libro nuevo.
I started reading a new book.

Usage Note: European Spanish

In Spain, speakers make a sharp distinction between the Preterite and the Present Perfect ().

Use the Preterite for time periods that are finished (yesterday, last week, in 1999).

Use the Present Perfect for time periods that are still ongoing (today, this morning, this year).

Ayer comí paella.
Yesterday I ate paella. (Finished time period)
Hoy he comido paella.
Today I have eaten paella. (Ongoing time period)

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s European Spanish course

43 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 93. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Preterite Tense” is about in bold:

Fui al centro comercial.
I went to the shopping mall.
Lesson 172
Mi padre le compró un regalo a mi madre.
My father bought a present for my mother.
Lesson 225
No llegué tarde. Llegué temprano. El tráfico era normal.
I am not late. I am early. Traffic was normal.
Lesson 279

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