The Preterite Tense (Pretérito Indefinido)
is used to describe completed actions in the past that happened at a specific point in time.
- Specific events: Ayer comí pizza (Yesterday I ate pizza)
- Actions with a clear end: Viví en Madrid dos años (I lived in Madrid for two years)
- Sequence of events: Entró, habló y se fue (He came in, spoke, and left)
Start Preterite Practice
Regular Verbs
Endings
| Person |
-ar |
-er / -ir |
| yo (I) |
-é |
-í |
| tú (you) |
-aste |
-iste |
| él / ella (he/she) |
-ó |
-ió |
| nosotros (we) |
-amos |
-imos |
| vosotros (you all) |
-asteis |
-isteis |
| ellos (they) |
-aron |
-ieron |
Examples: -ar (hablar — to speak, trabajar — to work)
|
hablar |
trabajar |
| yo |
hablé |
trabajé |
| tú |
hablaste |
trabajaste |
| él / ella |
habló |
trabajó |
| nosotros |
hablamos |
trabajamos |
| vosotros |
hablasteis |
trabajasteis |
| ellos |
hablaron |
trabajaron |
Examples: -er / -ir (comer — to eat, vivir — to live)
|
comer |
vivir |
| yo |
comí |
viví |
| tú |
comiste |
viviste |
| él / ella |
comió |
vivió |
| nosotros |
comimos |
vivimos |
| vosotros |
comisteis |
vivisteis |
| ellos |
comieron |
vivieron |
Irregular Verbs
In the Preterite, many verbs have a stem change.
However, they all share a specific set of "irregular" endings:
-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Example: tener (to have) → tuv-
- Yo tuve tiempo (I had time).
- Tú tuviste razón (You were right).
- Él / Ella tuvo un problema (He/She had a problem).
- Nosotros tuvimos suerte (We were lucky).
- Ellos tuvieron una reunión (They had a meeting).
- Yo fui a casa (I went home).
- Tú fuiste al mercado (You went to the market).
- La fiesta fue increíble (The party was amazing).
Common Irregular Verbs List
| Stem |
Infinitive |
Meaning |
| fu- | ser / ir | to be / to go |
| tuv- | tener | to have |
| estuv- | estar | to be (location/state) |
| hic- / hiz- | hacer | to do / make |
| pud- | poder | to be able to |
| pus- | poner | to put |
| dij- | decir | to say |
Want to practice Spanish conjugation and master the Preterite Tense?
Our interactive conjugation trainer is designed to help you memorize regular and
irregular verb forms through effective online exercises. Practice Spanish verbs
at your own pace — from Present to Past, all in one place. Perfect for students looking for
a fast and reliable way to study Spanish.
Start Conjugation Practice