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

• tú: -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 comió (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 vivió (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).

14-Day Spanish Immersion Program Santiago de Cuba