When learning Spanish, it’s important to know when to use the preterite and imperfect tenses. These tenses help us talk about actions that happened in the past.
This post will explain the preterite tense. We’ll look at how it shows completed actions, give some examples, and try out some practice exercises.
The preterite tense is used for actions that were finished at a specific time. It answers questions like "What happened?" or "What did you do?"
A key point about the preterite tense is that it shows the action is complete.
Let’s break down how to change regular verbs into the preterite tense. The endings change depending on whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.
For example, with the verb hablar (to speak), it looks like this:
With the verb comer (to eat), the forms are:
For the verb vivir (to live), the forms are:
Let's look at some sentences to see the preterite tense in action:
Ayer, fuimos al cine. (Yesterday, we went to the cinema.)
El año pasado, viajé a España. (Last year, I traveled to Spain.)
Ellos comieron pizza anoche. (They ate pizza last night.)
Hace dos semanas, estudié para el examen. (Two weeks ago, I studied for the exam.)
Tú hablaste con tu profesor ayer. (You spoke with your teacher yesterday.)
Certain words help us know when to use the preterite tense. These words include:
These words signal that the action was completed.
Some verbs don’t follow the usual rules. Here are some common irregular verbs in the preterite tense:
Ir (to go) / Ser (to be)
Tener (to have)
Hacer (to do/make)
Estar (to be)
Getting to know these irregular verbs is important for talking about past actions correctly.
Now it's your turn to practice!
Answers:
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Getting the hang of the preterite tense is an important part of speaking and writing in Spanish. It takes practice to become familiar with both regular and irregular verbs, as well as recognizing time clues.
With examples, exercises, and regular use, you’ll be able to describe past actions easily. Keep practicing, and soon using the preterite tense will be second nature!
When learning Spanish, it’s important to know when to use the preterite and imperfect tenses. These tenses help us talk about actions that happened in the past.
This post will explain the preterite tense. We’ll look at how it shows completed actions, give some examples, and try out some practice exercises.
The preterite tense is used for actions that were finished at a specific time. It answers questions like "What happened?" or "What did you do?"
A key point about the preterite tense is that it shows the action is complete.
Let’s break down how to change regular verbs into the preterite tense. The endings change depending on whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.
For example, with the verb hablar (to speak), it looks like this:
With the verb comer (to eat), the forms are:
For the verb vivir (to live), the forms are:
Let's look at some sentences to see the preterite tense in action:
Ayer, fuimos al cine. (Yesterday, we went to the cinema.)
El año pasado, viajé a España. (Last year, I traveled to Spain.)
Ellos comieron pizza anoche. (They ate pizza last night.)
Hace dos semanas, estudié para el examen. (Two weeks ago, I studied for the exam.)
Tú hablaste con tu profesor ayer. (You spoke with your teacher yesterday.)
Certain words help us know when to use the preterite tense. These words include:
These words signal that the action was completed.
Some verbs don’t follow the usual rules. Here are some common irregular verbs in the preterite tense:
Ir (to go) / Ser (to be)
Tener (to have)
Hacer (to do/make)
Estar (to be)
Getting to know these irregular verbs is important for talking about past actions correctly.
Now it's your turn to practice!
Answers:
Answers:
Answers:
Getting the hang of the preterite tense is an important part of speaking and writing in Spanish. It takes practice to become familiar with both regular and irregular verbs, as well as recognizing time clues.
With examples, exercises, and regular use, you’ll be able to describe past actions easily. Keep practicing, and soon using the preterite tense will be second nature!