Preterite — Completed Past
The past tense in English
English has one simple past tense. It covers any past event, whether it was a single moment, a completed action, or a habit:
| Example | Type |
|---|
| She ate breakfast. | single completed action |
| He worked there for 10 years. | completed period |
| They studied every night. | past habit (or just what happened) |
| I called you. | specific past event |
English uses context and time expressions to distinguish these — the verb form itself doesn’t change.
How Spanish handles the past differently
Spanish has two separate past tenses where English has one:
| Tense | Name | Use |
|---|
| Preterite (pretérito indefinido) | pretérito | completed, specific, bounded past events |
| Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) | imperfecto | ongoing, habitual, or background past states |
This page covers the preterite.
The preterite — what it expresses
Use the preterite for:
- A completed action at a specific point in time
- An action with a clear beginning and/or end
- A sequence of events (first this, then that)
- An action that interrupted something ongoing
| Signal words for preterite | English |
|---|
| ayer | yesterday |
| anoche | last night |
| la semana pasada | last week |
| el año pasado | last year |
| hace [tiempo] | [time] ago |
| una vez | once |
| de repente | suddenly |
| entonces | then (and then) |
| por fin | finally |
| ese día | that day |
Preterite endings — regular verbs
| Subject | -ar | -er / -ir |
|---|
| yo | -é | -í |
| tú | -aste | -iste |
| él/ella/usted | -ó | -ió |
| nosotros | -amos | -imos |
| vosotros | -asteis | -isteis |
| ellos/ustedes | -aron | -ieron |
Note: -er and -ir verbs share the same preterite endings.
-ar preterite: hablar (to speak)
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|
| yo | hablé | I spoke |
| tú | hablaste | you spoke |
| él/ella | habló | he/she spoke |
| nosotros | hablamos | we spoke |
| vosotros | hablasteis | you all spoke |
| ellos/ustedes | hablaron | they/you all spoke |
-ar preterite in sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| Yo hablé con el jefe ayer. | I spoke with the boss yesterday. |
| Ella compró un libro nuevo. | She bought a new book. |
| Ellos trabajaron toda la noche. | They worked all night. |
| Nosotros llegamos a tiempo. | We arrived on time. |
| Tú llamaste a las 8. | You called at 8. |
| Él entró al cuarto. | He entered the room. |
| Yo tomé un café esta mañana. | I drank a coffee this morning. |
| Ella escuchó la canción. | She listened to the song. |
| Vosotros esperasteis mucho tiempo. | You all waited a long time. |
| Nosotros caminamos al parque. | We walked to the park. |
-er / -ir preterite: comer / vivir
| Subject | comer | vivir | English |
|---|
| yo | comí | viví | I ate / I lived |
| tú | comiste | viviste | you ate / you lived |
| él/ella | comió | vivió | he/she ate / lived |
| nosotros | comimos | vivimos | we ate / we lived |
| vosotros | comisteis | vivisteis | you all ate / lived |
| ellos | comieron | vivieron | they ate / they lived |
-er/-ir preterite in sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|
| Yo comí pizza anoche. | I ate pizza last night. |
| Ella bebió agua. | She drank water. |
| Ellos corrieron cinco kilómetros. | They ran five kilometers. |
| Tú aprendiste mucho. | You learned a lot. |
| Nosotros vivimos ahí por dos años. | We lived there for two years. |
| Él escribió el informe. | He wrote the report. |
| Yo recibí tu mensaje. | I received your message. |
| Ella decidió quedarse. | She decided to stay. |
| Vosotros salisteis temprano. | You all left early. |
| Nosotros abrimos la tienda. | We opened the store. |
Key irregular preterites
These must be memorized — their stems and/or endings are irregular.
ser and ir — identical in preterite
| Subject | ser / ir | English (ser) | English (ir) |
|---|
| yo | fui | I was | I went |
| tú | fuiste | you were | you went |
| él/ella | fue | he/she was | he/she went |
| nosotros | fuimos | we were | we went |
| ellos | fueron | they were | they went |
Context tells you which verb is intended.
tener (to have) — irregular stem: tuv-
| yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|
| tuve | tuviste | tuvo | tuvimos | tuvieron |
hacer (to do/make) — irregular stem: hic- / hiz-
| yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|
| hice | hiciste | hizo | hicimos | hicieron |
estar (to be) — irregular stem: estuv-
| yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|
| estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvieron |
decir (to say) — irregular stem: dij-
| yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|
| dije | dijiste | dijo | dijimos | dijeron |
venir (to come) — irregular stem: vin-
| yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|
| vine | viniste | vino | vinimos | vinieron |
Common mistakes
- ❌ Using the preterite for ongoing past states → ✅ use the imperfect: “Era joven cuando…” not “Fue joven cuando…”
- ❌ Forgetting the accent marks on yo and él forms: hable, hablo → ✅ hablé (I spoke), habló (he spoke) — without accent, these are present tense
- ❌ Using regular endings for ser/ir/tener/hacer → ✅ these must be memorized
Summary
- The preterite is for completed past events with a clear start, end, or sequence
- Signal words: ayer, anoche, hace, una vez, de repente
-ar endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron-er/-ir endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron- Key irregulars: ser/ir (fui), tener (tuve), hacer (hice), estar (estuve)
See also: Imperfect — the other past tense: ongoing and habitual.
See also: Preterite vs Imperfect — when to use which.