The Simple Past of Regular Spanish Verbs

Descripción de la publicaci The Simple Past tense in Spanish, also known as the Preterite tense, is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past.

SPANISH VIDEO LESSONS

Lic. Euqueria Zamora-Ahonen

8/26/20241 min read

The Simple Past tense in Spanish, also known as the Preterite tense, is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past.


For regular verbs, the endings change depending on whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.

Regular -ar Verbs

For verbs ending in -ar, the endings are:

  • yo: -é

  • tú: -aste

  • él/ella/usted: -ó

  • nosotros/nosotras: -amos

  • vosotros/vosotras: -asteis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -aron


Example: Hablar (to speak)

  • Yo hablé (I spoke)

  • Tú hablaste (You spoke)

  • Él/Ella/Usted habló (He/She/You spoke)

  • Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos (We spoke)

  • Vosotros/Vosotras hablasteis (You all spoke)

  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaron (They/You all spoke)

Regular -er and -ir Verbs

For verbs ending in -er and -ir, the endings are:

  • yo: -í

  • : -iste

  • él/ella/usted: -ió

  • nosotros/nosotras: -imos

  • vosotros/vosotras: -isteis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ieron

Example: Comer (to eat)

  • Yo comí (I ate)

  • Tú comiste (You ate)

  • Él/Ella/Usted com (He/She/You ate)

  • Nosotros/Nosotras comimos (We ate)

  • Vosotros/Vosotras comisteis (You all ate)

  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comieron (They/You all ate)

Example: Vivir (to live)

  • Yo viví (I lived)

  • Tú viviste (You lived)

  • Él/Ella/Usted viv (He/She/You lived)

  • Nosotros/Nosotras vivimos (We lived)

  • Vosotros/Vosotras vivisteis (You all lived)

  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivieron (They/You all lived)

Usage

The Simple Past tense is used for actions that:

  • Happened once or a specific number of times.

  • Occurred during a specific period of time.

  • Were part of a sequence of events.

Examples:

  • Ayer compré un libro (Yesterday I bought a book).

  • El año pasado viajamos a España (Last year we traveled to Spain).

  • Ella terminó su tarea y luego salió (She finished her homework and then left).