1. Preterite Tense of –ar Verbs

2. The preterite tense (or simple past) of –ar verbs uses a different set of endings than the present tense of –ar verbs. Study the preterite endings below: yo-énosotros-amos tú-aste Ud./él/ella-óUds./ellos/ellas-aron

3. Note the accent marks on the “yo” and the “Ud./él/ella” forms. It is important that you remember these accent marks, because the verb will change meaning if you forget them. Observe: Habló español. He spoke Spanish. Hablo español.I speak Spanish. Note that failure to include the accent mark changes both the subject of the sentence and the tense. So yes, ladies and gentlemen – accents ARE important!

4. Let’s do some examples. What is the correct preterite form of the given verb in these sentences? The answer will appear after 10 seconds. Ellos en la clase. (hablar) Tú muy bien. (cantar) Yo la tarea temprano. (terminar) Nosotros al parque. (caminar) cantaste terminé hablaron caminamos

5. Let’s do some practice. Complete these sentences with the correct form of the given verb. Tú _______ a San Diego. (viajar) viajaste! That’s right… it’s estudió! Eva _________ mucho ayer. (estudiar)

6. Here’s some more practice. Nosotros no _______ a la fiesta. (bailar) bailamos! That’s right… it’s cantaron! Uds. ________ muy mal. (cantar)

7. Nosotros _______la cena. (cocinar) cocinamos! That’s right… it’s compraron! Teresa y Juan _______ mucho. (comprar)

8. VOILA! See how easy that was? Now try some on your own – click the button to do a practice quiz. Practice Quiz Replay