Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate regular -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in the preterite (simple past) tense.
Lesson Explanation
Spanish has two genuinely distinct simple past tenses — the preterite and the imperfect — a split with no direct equivalent in English, which uses one past tense (“I ate”) for both. This lesson introduces the preterite, used for completed, one-time actions with a clear beginning and end.
-AR verbs, modeled on hablar:
hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron -ER and -IR verbs share identical preterite endings, modeled on comer and vivir:
comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron
A genuinely important detail: the nosotros form of regular -ar and -ir verbs is identical in the preterite and the present tense (hablamos and vivimos each serve both) — only context tells you which is meant. -er verbs do not share this overlap.
Every preterite yo and él/ella/usted form for regular verbs carries a written accent on the final vowel — hablé, comió — genuinely necessary to distinguish these from other forms and required in correct spelling.
Practice Questions
1. How many distinct simple past tenses does Spanish have?
View Answer
Two — the preterite and the imperfect.
2. What kind of actions is the preterite generally used for?
View Answer
Completed, one-time actions with a clear beginning and end.
3. Conjugate “hablar” in the preterite for “yo.”
View Answer
Hablé.
4. Conjugate “comer” in the preterite for “él.”
View Answer
Comió.
5. Conjugate “vivir” in the preterite for “yo.”
View Answer
Viví.
6. Do -er and -ir verbs share identical preterite endings?
View Answer
Yes.
7. For which two verb groups is the “nosotros” preterite form identical to the present tense?
View Answer
-ar and -ir verbs.
8. Conjugate “hablar” in the preterite for “nosotros.”
View Answer
Hablamos.
9. Does the preterite “yo” form of a regular verb carry a written accent?
View Answer
Yes, on the final vowel.
10. Conjugate “comer” in the preterite for “ellos.”
View Answer
Comieron.
11. Conjugate “vivir” in the preterite for “tú.”
View Answer
Viviste.
12. Conjugate “hablar” in the preterite for “ustedes.”
View Answer
Hablaron.