Preterite: Transitions When telling a story in the past tense, transition phrases indicate the preterite tense. Example: First, I woke up, then I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and finally I went to school. Primero, yo me desperté, luego me vestí, me cepillé los dientes, y por fin yo fui a la escuela.

Transition Phrases Primero first Segundo second Tercero third Luego then, next Entonces then, next Después after Por fin finally por último lastly

Preterite: Series of Events A series of events is when someone did one thing after another, after another. I went to the mall, bought a gift, came home, read my email, ate dinner, and went to bed. Yo fui al centro comercial, compré un regalo, vine a casa, leí mi correo, comí la cena, y fui a la cama.

¡Practiquemos! Translate each sentence to Spanish. I cooked dinner, listened to music, did my homework, and slept. First, you read a book. Then, you ate dinner and went to the park. Finally, you prayed. Yo cociné la cena, escuché música, hice la tarea, y dormí. Primero, tú leíste un libro. Luego, tú comiste la cena y fuiste al parque. Por fin, tú rezaste.