1. L.O – to learn how to form and use the PRETERITE tense in Spanish

2. The PRETERITE tense is used to talk about completed actions in the
past. It is used:
1. in telling stories and for non descriptive events.
2. for actions that were completed in the past. (FINISHED events)
3. for actions in the past which happened only once. (SINGLE events)
for actions that were repeated but finished in the past. (REPEATED events)
for actions that were part of a chain of events. (CHAIN events)
for actions that took place over a specific period of time. It can be used with the following expressions of time:
ayer (yesterday), anteayer (the day before yesterday) , la semana pasada (last week), el mes/año pasado (last month/year), el otro día (the other day), hace dos días (2 days ago), en etc
Examples: Él cenó, vio la tele y se acostó. He had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.
Ayer te llamé por teléfono. I rang you yesterday.

3. Notice the ‘we’ ending in –AR and –IR verbs is the same as
There are two sets of regular endings to learn:
1. -AR
2. -ER/ -IR
As with other tenses you have to:
1. take the infinitive.
2. take off the infinitive ending.
3. add the endings for the tense.
-AR endings
-ER / -IR endings
Notice the ‘we’
ending in –AR
and –IR verbs
is the same as
in the present
tense.
More detailed conjugations and exercises follow. -é
-aste -ó
-amos
-aron -í
-iste
-ió
-imos
-ieron

4. He /she/ it spoke, did speak. ó
Regular -AR verbs
hablar = to speak / talk
habl é
I spoke, I did speak.
You spoke, you did speak.
aste
He /she/ it spoke, did speak. ó
amos
We spoke, we did speak.
Endings appear one by one on mouse click.
aron
They spoke, they did speak.

5. Regular -AR verbs
Choose 3 of the verbs below and write them out in full:
aceptar = to accept cantar = to sing llenar = to fill
amar = to love charlar = to chat llorar= to cry
arreglar = to fix dibujar = to draw mirar = to look at
ayudar = to help entrar = to go in saltar = to jump
bajar = to go down ganar = to win viajar = to travel
bailar = to dance lavar = to wash tomar el sol – to sunbathe

6. The preterite tense 5

7. The preterite tense 6 Regular -ER verbs comer = to eat com í
I ate, I did eat.
iste
You ate, you did eat. ió
He / she / it ate, did eat.
imos
We ate, we did eat.
Endings appear one by one on mouse click.
ieron
They ate, they did eat.

8. Regular -ER verbs
Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.
beber = to drink
meter = to put
correr = to run
vender = to sell
coser = to sew

9. The preterite tense 8

10. He / she / it opened, did open.
Regular -IR verbs
ABRIR= to open
I opened, I did open.
abr í
iste
You opened, you did open. ió
He / she / it opened, did open.
imos
We opened, we did open.
Endings appear one by one on mouse click.
ieron
They opened, they did open.

11. Regular -IR verbs
Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.
Like ABRIR
batir = to beat escribir = to write
cubrir = to cover permitir = to allow
recibir = to receive

12. The preterite tense 11

13. Elige la forma del verbo más apropiada
1. (Tú) bebí/bebiste mucha Coca-Cola en la cafetería.
2. (Zara) visitó/visitaron Marruecos.
3. (Nosotros) escribimos/escribieron unas postales.
4. (yo) tomaste/tomé el sol en la playa.
5. (yo) compró/compré muchos regalos.

14. explicaste you explained explicó he/she/it explained
Stem changing verbs
The first group of irregular verbs are only slightly irregular as they show stem changes* in the first person singular only. There are three types:
1. Verbs which end in –GAR change to GUÉ
2. Verbs which end in –CAR change to QUÉ
3. Verbs which end in –ZAR change to CÉ
jugar = to play
jugué I played
jugaste you played
jugó he/she/it played
jugamos we played
jugasteis you played
jugaron they played
explicar = to explain
expliqué I explained
explicaste you explained
explicó he/she/it explained
explicamos we explained
explicasteis you explained
explicaron they explained
cruzar = to cross
crucé I crossed
cruzaste you crossed
cruzó he/she/it crossed
cruzamos we crossed
cruzasteis you crossed
cruzaron they crossed
*The stem changes occur in order to preserve the sound of the infinitive.

15. Stem changing verbs
The following verbs work in the same way. Can you write out three of them in full?
apagar = to put out acercarse = to approach
cazar = to hunt cargar = to load
atacar = to attack empezar = to begin
descargar = to unload buscar = to look for
organizar = to organize entregar = to hand over
secar = to dry rezar = to pray
llegar = to arrive pescar = to fish
utilizar = to use navegar = to sail
chocar contra = to crash into pagar = to pay
sacar = to take out regar= to water
marcar = to score a goal, tocar= to touch
dial a number almorzar = to have lunch

16. 1. (I) ______________(comprar) un vestido bonito.
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in the preterite tense
1. (I) ______________(comprar) un vestido bonito.
2. (you (singular) ______________( tomar) el sol.
3. (I) ______________( comer) chocolate.
4. (We) ____________( bailar) en las discotecas.
5. (Maria)_________________(pasar) una semana en Valencia.
6. (I) _______________(ir) de vacaciones.
7. (We) ____________(ir) a Paris.

17. Irregular verbs in preterite- no accents!
Ir – to go / ser – to be Tener – to have
Fui- I went Tuve
Fuiste –you went Tuviste
Fue – he/she went Tuvo
Fuimos – we went Tuvimos
Fueron – they went Tuvieron
Hacer – to do/ to make
Hice – I did
Hiciste – you did
Hizo – he/she did
Hicimos – we did
Hicieron – they did