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what is preterite tense in spanish

by Margot Kovacek Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

The Spanish Preterite – also known as “Simple Past Tense” – is likely to be your first exploration into past tense Spanish. This tense is used to describe past actions that were already completed, with a clear beginning or ending.

Full Answer

When do we use preterite in Spanish?

The preterite is used when the past action has a definite beginning and definite end. The Spanish preterite tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. For example: Fui al cine ayer (I went to the cinema yesterday).

What does Querer mean in the preterite?

The verb querer in the preterite tense specifically means that you wanted or loved something in the past, but you no longer want or love that person or thing. The verb querer is irregular in the preterite tense. Hereof, what verbs change meaning in the preterite?

When do I use preterite or imperfect in Spanish?

The preterite is used to express that an action happened once at a specific point in the past: En 2015 viajé a Barcelona. On the other hand, the imperfect is used with actions that occurred many times, such as habits: Cuando era adolescente, iba a Barcelona todos los años.

How to say preterite in Spanish?

Preterite

  1. Regular AR
  2. Regular ER/IR
  3. Extra Practice with AR/ER/IR Verbs
  4. Spelling Changes
  5. More on Spelling Changes
  6. Conjugation Review
  7. Irregulars
  8. Stem-Changing Verbs
  9. More on Stem-Changing Verbs
  10. Comprehensive Review. The Spanish preterite tense ( el pretérito o el pretérito perfecto simple) is used to describe actions completed at a point in the past.

Its English equivalent is the simple past

Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since 1998.

Definition of the Preterite Tense

In Spanish, the preterite (often spelled "preterit") verb tense expresses an action that took place at a definite time in the past. It is contrasted with the imperfect tense, which expresses an action that took place at an indefinite time or has not yet been completed.

When to Use the Preterite

In general, the preterite is used in referring to events that happened at a specific time or to repeated events that happened over a specific time. A simple example would be " Ayer yo busqué las llaves " (I looked for the keys yesterday) because the event happened at a specific time.

Conjugation of the Preterite Tense

Here are the regular conjugations for the preterite -ar , -er, and -ir verbs. The endings, added to the verb stems, are shown in boldface:

Miscellaneous Facts About Using the Preterite

The preterite is nearly always used in discussing events that happened only one time: El concierto fue un éxito. (The concert was a success.)

When to use preterite tense?

The preterite is used when the past action has a definite beginning and definite end.

What does "viajamos en tren" mean?

Viajamos en tren (We travelled by train).

Formation

The preterite perfect tense uses the verb haber in the preterite plus a past participle.

Preterite of Haber

In case you don't know it, here is how to form haber in the preterite.

What is a preterite?

Generally, the preterite is used for completed actions (actions that have definite beginning and end points.) These can be actions that can be viewed as single events, actions that were part of a chain of events, actions that were repeated a very specific number of times, or actions that specifically state the beginning and end of an action.

What is the imperfect tense?

The Imperfect. The imperfect tense is generally used for actions in the past that do not have a definite end. These can be actions that are not yet completed or refer to a time in general in the past. It can also be used to talk about: actions that were repeated habitually.

Different Progressive Tenses

Progressive tenses can be used in the past, present, future, and even the conditional. Here are some articles on different types of Spanish progressive tenses.

Forming Progressive Tenses

Progressive tenses are formed with a conjugated form of the verb estar ( to be) plus a present participle.

Definition of The Preterite Tense

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In Spanish, the preterite (often spelled "preterit") verb tense expresses an action that took place at a definite time in the past. It is contrasted with the imperfect tense, which expresses an action that took place at an indefinite time or has not yet been completed. The preterite tense is equivalent to what would normally be thou…
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When to Use The Preterite

  • In general, the preterite is used in referring to events that happened at a specific time or to repeated events that happened over a specific time. A simple example would be "Ayer yo busqué las llaves" (I looked for the keys yesterday) because the event happened at a specific time. Alternatively, if you're talking about something that didn't occur at a particular time, you usually …
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Conjugation of The Preterite Tense

  • Here are the regular conjugations for the preterite -ar, -er, and -irverbs. The endings, added to the verb stems, are shown in boldface: Example of -ar verb — cantar(to sing): 1. yo canté(I sang) 2. tú cantaste(you sang) 3. usted/él/ella cantó(you/he/she/it sang) 4. nosotros/nosotras cantamos(we sang) 5. vosotros/vosotras cantasteis(you sang) 6. ustedes/ellos/ellas cantaron(you/they sang) …
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Sample Sentences Using The Preterite

  1. Pablo me habló. (Pablo spoketo me.)
  2. Ana escribió la carta. (Ana wrotethe letter.)
  3. Hace dos años fuimos a Nueva Zelanda. (Two years ago we wentto New Zealand.)
  4. Se cayó tu celular al agua y no sabes que hacer, no desesperes. (If your cellphone fellinto the water and you don't know what to do, don't worry.)
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Miscellaneous Facts About Using The Preterite

  1. The preterite is nearly always used in discussing events that happened only one time: El concierto fue un éxito. (The concert wasa success.)
  2. One use of the preterite is to indicate that a process is complete: La estudiante alcanzó el título de campeón. (The student tookthe title of champion.)
  3. The preterite can also be used to indicate the beginning of a process:
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