Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past)
Master the Spanish simple past tense (Pretérito Indefinido). Learn regular and irregular conjugations, key time markers, and how to express completed past actions.
The Simple Past: Pretérito Indefinido
The Pretérito Indefinido is used to describe completed, finished actions that took place at a specific point in the past. If you want to say "I traveled to Mexico last year" or "She called me yesterday," this is the tense you need. Unlike the imperfect, the preterite views past actions as single events with a clear beginning and end.
1. Regular Conjugations
📝 -AR Verbs
For regular -AR verbs, drop the ending and add: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
Note the written accents on the yo form (-é) and the él/ella/usted form (-ó).
✏️ -ER / -IR Verbs
For both -ER and -IR verbs, the endings are identical: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Note the written accents on the yo form (-í) and the él/ella/usted form (-ió).
Regular Conjugation Examples:
| Subject | hablar (to speak) | comer (to eat) | vivir (to live) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| él / ella / usted | habló | comió | vivió |
| nosotros / nosotras | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
2. Essential Irregular Verbs
🔥 Ser & Ir (Identical Conjugations!)
The verbs ser (to be) and ir (to go) share the exact same conjugation in the preterite. The context will tell you which verb is being used.
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
• "Fui a la playa." (I went to the beach - Ir)
• "La película fue divertida." (The movie was fun - Ser)
⚡ Strong Stem Irregulars
Many common irregular verbs change their stem and use a special set of endings (with **no accent marks** on any form):
Endings: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
- hacer (hic-) → hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos...
- tener (tuv-) → tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos...
- estar (estuv-) → estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos...
- decir (dij-) → dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijeron
3. When to Use & Time Markers
🎯 Completed Events
Use the preterite to narrate actions that happened once and were completed in the past.
"Ayer compré un libro." (Yesterday I bought a book).
⛓️ Chain of Events
Listing consecutive actions in a story.
"Me levanté, me duché y salí de casa." (I got up, showered, and left home).
Key Time Markers (Words that trigger the Preterite):
- ayer (yesterday) / anteayer (the day before yesterday)
- anoche (last night)
- el año pasado / la semana pasada / el mes pasado (last year / last week / last month)
- hace dos días / hace un año (two days ago / a year ago)
- en 2015 / en octubre (in 2015 / in October)
Ponte a Prueba
Reto 1: Completa el Pretérito
Puntuación: 0/10Choose the correct preterite conjugation of the verb in parentheses.
Reto 2: ¿Correcto o Incorrecto?
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