Lesson 13: Introducing the Preterite Tense

13.1

Defining the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is what you’ll use to talk about actions and events in the past. When you use the preterite (as opposed to some other past tenses), you drop actions into a moment in time: beginnings and endings, starts and stops, the day you climbed that mountain, or when you attended that unforgettable concert. When you’re narrating a story, this is the tense that moves the plot forward.

The preterite tense in Spanish often resonates well with English speakers due to its straightforward nature. Think of simple past actions like 'I stood up,' 'He woke up,' or 'They fell off their bike.' While the preterite has its nuances, starting with the regular verbs will simplify the learning process.

13.2

These are the regular verb endings for the preterite tense:

What do you notice about ‑ER and ‑IR endings? That’s right! They’re identical in their preterite tense conjugations. Phew. That saves…a little bit of room in your brain. Don’t worry; we’ll find something to fit in there soon. That was straightforward enough. Moving on.

13.3

Regular Verbs in the Preterite Tense

Once again, we'll break the infinitives in half (like HABL+AR). Then we'll use the ‑AR (or ‑ER or ‑IR) to tell us which endings to choose, and stick the right endings on the stem:

13.4

Using the Preterite Tense

Below are some common examples of ways you might use the preterite tense in the real world:

Yo hablé con el veterinario; el caballo va a tener gemelos.

I spoke to the veterinarian; the horse is going to have twins.

Yo hablé con el veterinario; el caballo va a tener gemelos.

I spoke to the veterinarian; the horse is going to have twins.

Yo comí tú galleta, y no me arrepiento de nada.

I ate your cookie, and I regret nothing.

Yo comí tú galleta, y no me arrepiento de nada.

I ate your cookie, and I regret nothing.

Nosotras vivimos en un barco por un mes.

We lived on a boat for a month.

Nosotras vivimos en un barco.

We lived on a boat.