{"id":102,"date":"2026-09-30T17:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/spanish-preterite\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:25:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:25:04","slug":"spanish-preterite","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/spanish-preterite\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spanish preterite: regular endings, irregular verbs and when to use it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regular endings<\/h2>\n\n

The preterite has two sets of endings: one for -ar verbs, one shared by -er and -ir verbs.<\/p>\n\n

Person<\/th>hablar (to speak)<\/th>comer (to eat)<\/th>vivir (to live)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
yo<\/td>habl\u00e9<\/td>com\u00ed<\/td>viv\u00ed<\/td><\/tr>
t\u00fa<\/td>hablaste<\/td>comiste<\/td>viviste<\/td><\/tr>
\u00e9l \/ ella \/ usted<\/td>habl\u00f3<\/td>comi\u00f3<\/td>vivi\u00f3<\/td><\/tr>
nosotros \/ nosotras<\/td>hablamos<\/td>comimos<\/td>vivimos<\/td><\/tr>
vosotros \/ vosotras<\/td>hablasteis<\/td>comisteis<\/td>vivisteis<\/td><\/tr>
ellos \/ ellas \/ ustedes<\/td>hablaron<\/td>comieron<\/td>vivieron<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
  1. The accent is not optional.<\/strong> hablo<\/span> (I speak) and habl\u00f3<\/span> (he spoke) differ only by the stress and the written accent. The same goes for habl\u00e9<\/span> and hable<\/span> (a subjunctive form).<\/li>
  2. Nosotros can look like the present.<\/strong> hablamos<\/span> and vivimos<\/span> are the same in both tenses; the time marker decides: Ayer hablamos con ella.<\/span> For -er verbs, the forms differ: comemos<\/span> (present), comimos<\/span> (preterite).<\/li>
  3. No -s in the t\u00fa form.<\/strong> hablaste<\/span>, comiste<\/span>. “Hablastes” is heard in speech but is non-standard.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    The name varies: pret\u00e9rito indefinido<\/span> is the traditional term used in Spanish schools; the Real Academia Espa\u00f1ola calls it pret\u00e9rito perfecto simple<\/span>. In English it is the preterite, or the simple past.<\/p>\n\n

    Spelling changes<\/h2>\n\n

    These verbs are regular in sound, but the spelling changes to keep it.<\/p>\n\n

    1. -car, -gar, -zar: the yo form only.<\/strong> buscar<\/span> \u2192 busqu\u00e9<\/span>; tocar<\/span> \u2192 toqu\u00e9<\/span>; jugar<\/span> \u2192 jugu\u00e9<\/span>; llegar<\/span> \u2192 llegu\u00e9<\/span>; empezar<\/span> \u2192 empec\u00e9<\/span>; organizar<\/span> \u2192 organic\u00e9<\/span>. The rest is regular: buscaste<\/span>, jug\u00f3<\/span>.<\/li>
    2. i becomes y between vowels, in the third person.<\/strong> leer<\/span>: le\u00ed, le\u00edste, ley\u00f3, le\u00edmos, le\u00edsteis, leyeron<\/span>. Also crey\u00f3<\/span>, oy\u00f3<\/span>, cay\u00f3<\/span>, construy\u00f3<\/span>, construyeron<\/span>.<\/li>
    3. -ir stem changers change in the third person.<\/strong> pedir<\/span>: ped\u00ed, pediste, pidi\u00f3, pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron<\/span>. dormir<\/span>: durmi\u00f3<\/span>, durmieron<\/span>. Also prefiri\u00f3<\/span>, sinti\u00f3<\/span>, repiti\u00f3<\/span>, sigui\u00f3<\/span>, muri\u00f3<\/span>. -ar and -er stem changers have no stem change in the preterite: pens\u00e9<\/span>, volv\u00ed<\/span>, jugu\u00e9<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      The irregular verbs that matter<\/h2>\n\n
      Verb<\/th>yo<\/th>t\u00fa<\/th>\u00e9l<\/th>nosotros<\/th>vosotros<\/th>ellos<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      ser \/ ir<\/td>fui<\/td>fuiste<\/td>fue<\/td>fuimos<\/td>fuisteis<\/td>fueron<\/td><\/tr>
      estar<\/td>estuve<\/td>estuviste<\/td>estuvo<\/td>estuvimos<\/td>estuvisteis<\/td>estuvieron<\/td><\/tr>
      tener<\/td>tuve<\/td>tuviste<\/td>tuvo<\/td>tuvimos<\/td>tuvisteis<\/td>tuvieron<\/td><\/tr>
      hacer<\/td>hice<\/td>hiciste<\/td>hizo<\/td>hicimos<\/td>hicisteis<\/td>hicieron<\/td><\/tr>
      poder<\/td>pude<\/td>pudiste<\/td>pudo<\/td>pudimos<\/td>pudisteis<\/td>pudieron<\/td><\/tr>
      poner<\/td>puse<\/td>pusiste<\/td>puso<\/td>pusimos<\/td>pusisteis<\/td>pusieron<\/td><\/tr>
      querer<\/td>quise<\/td>quisiste<\/td>quiso<\/td>quisimos<\/td>quisisteis<\/td>quisieron<\/td><\/tr>
      saber<\/td>supe<\/td>supiste<\/td>supo<\/td>supimos<\/td>supisteis<\/td>supieron<\/td><\/tr>
      venir<\/td>vine<\/td>viniste<\/td>vino<\/td>vinimos<\/td>vinisteis<\/td>vinieron<\/td><\/tr>
      decir<\/td>dije<\/td>dijiste<\/td>dijo<\/td>dijimos<\/td>dijisteis<\/td>dijeron<\/td><\/tr>
      traer<\/td>traje<\/td>trajiste<\/td>trajo<\/td>trajimos<\/td>trajisteis<\/td>trajeron<\/td><\/tr>
      conducir<\/td>conduje<\/td>condujiste<\/td>condujo<\/td>condujimos<\/td>condujisteis<\/td>condujeron<\/td><\/tr>
      dar<\/td>di<\/td>diste<\/td>dio<\/td>dimos<\/td>disteis<\/td>dieron<\/td><\/tr>
      ver<\/td>vi<\/td>viste<\/td>vio<\/td>vimos<\/td>visteis<\/td>vieron<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
      1. One set of endings for the special stems.<\/strong> -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, with no written accent: tuve<\/span>, hizo<\/span>, never “tuv\u00e9” or “hiz\u00f3”. Hizo<\/span> is spelt with z to keep the sound.<\/li>
      2. After j, -eron.<\/strong> dijeron<\/span>, trajeron<\/span>, condujeron<\/span>, not “dijieron”.<\/li>
      3. Ser and ir are identical.<\/strong> Fui al cine<\/span> (I went); Fue incre\u00edble<\/span> (it was). The context decides.<\/li>
      4. One-syllable forms have no accent.<\/strong> fui<\/span>, fue<\/span>, di<\/span>, dio<\/span>, vi<\/span>, vio<\/span>.<\/li>
      5. Dar takes -er\/-ir endings.<\/strong> di<\/span>, diste<\/span>, dio<\/span>, although it is an -ar verb.<\/li>
      6. Hay becomes hubo.<\/strong> Hubo un accidente<\/span> (there was an accident).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        Verbs that change meaning<\/h3>\n\n

        A few verbs mean something slightly different in the preterite, because it presents the action as an event.<\/p>\n\n

        Conoc\u00ed a Luc\u00eda en 2020.<\/span>I met Luc\u00eda in 2020.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Supe la verdad ayer.<\/span>I found out the truth yesterday.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        No quiso venir.<\/span>He refused to come.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        Por fin pude terminar.<\/span>I finally managed to finish.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

        When to use the preterite<\/h2>\n\n
        1. Completed actions at a specific time.<\/strong> Ayer fui al cine.<\/span> En 2019 viaj\u00e9 a M\u00e9xico.<\/span><\/li>
        2. A sequence of events.<\/strong> Me levant\u00e9, desayun\u00e9 y sal\u00ed.<\/span><\/li>
        3. A closed period.<\/strong> Viv\u00ed tres a\u00f1os en Sevilla<\/span>: the three years are over.<\/li>
        4. An event that interrupts.<\/strong> Estaba en casa cuando son\u00f3 el tel\u00e9fono.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          Useful time markers: ayer<\/span>, anoche<\/span>, anteayer<\/span>, el s\u00e1bado pasado<\/span>, la semana pasada<\/span>, el a\u00f1o pasado<\/span>, hace dos a\u00f1os<\/span>, en 2019<\/span>, de repente<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

          Preterite or imperfect?<\/h3>\n\n

          The imperfect (hablaba<\/span>, com\u00eda<\/span>, viv\u00eda<\/span>) sets the scene: description, habits, age, time, what was going on. The preterite tells what happened. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser<\/span> (era<\/span>), ir<\/span> (iba<\/span>), ver<\/span> (ve\u00eda<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n

          Hac\u00eda sol y fuimos a la playa.<\/span>It was sunny and we went to the beach.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          De peque\u00f1o jugaba al f\u00fatbol; un d\u00eda me romp\u00ed la pierna.<\/span>As a child I used to play football; one day I broke my leg.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          Preterite or perfect?<\/h3>\n\n

          In Spain, the perfect tense (he comido<\/span>) is used for actions in a period that includes now: hoy<\/span>, esta ma\u00f1ana<\/span>, este a\u00f1o<\/span>, alguna vez<\/span>. Hoy he comido paella<\/span> but Ayer com\u00ed paella.<\/span> In most of Latin America, and in the Canary Islands and parts of north-western Spain, the preterite is also used in these cases: Hoy com\u00ed paella.<\/span> Both are correct: teach one model consistently and make sure pupils recognise the other.<\/p>\n\n

          Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
          • Missing accents:<\/strong> “hable”, “comio” for habl\u00e9<\/span>, comi\u00f3<\/span>. In Spanish an accent can change the tense or the person.<\/li>
          • Accents on irregular forms:<\/strong> “tuv\u00f3”, “hiz\u00f3”, “fu\u00e9”, “di\u00f3”.<\/li>
          • Person confusion:<\/strong> “yo fue” for yo fui<\/span>; “\u00e9l fui” for \u00e9l fue<\/span>.<\/li>
          • Regularising:<\/strong> “ten\u00ed”, “hac\u00ed”, “est\u00ed” for tuve<\/span>, hice<\/span>, estuve<\/span>.<\/li>
          • Vine or vi?<\/strong> vine<\/span> (I came) and vi<\/span> (I saw) are often mixed up.<\/li>
          • Spelling in the yo form:<\/strong> “jug\u00e9”, “empez\u00e9”, “busc\u00e9”.<\/li>
          • Preterite for description:<\/strong> “Cuando fui peque\u00f1o\u2026” for Cuando era peque\u00f1o\u2026<\/span><\/li>
          • Translating “did”:<\/strong> “\u00bfHiciste ir\u2026?” for \u00bfFuiste\u2026?<\/span>; the preterite needs no auxiliary.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            In class: a past-tense verb wheel<\/h2>\n\n

            The preterite is the tense GCSE pupils most need in speaking and writing about past events, and the one they forget fastest.<\/p>\n\n

            1. Draw a verb: today, hacer<\/span>. The class says whether it is regular or irregular.<\/li>
            2. Point to a person; the class answers in chorus: hice<\/span>, hiciste<\/span>, hizo<\/span>\u2026<\/li>
            3. Reveal each form after the class has said it. Check the accents out loud: “No accent on hizo<\/span>!”<\/li>
            4. Add a time marker and ask for one real sentence: El fin de semana pasado hice los deberes.<\/span><\/li>
            5. Contrast with the present: Hoy hago\u2026, ayer hice\u2026<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

              That is exactly what a daily conjugation routine does: a verb is drawn, the class conjugates it person by person, in the present up to A2, then in the preterite from B1.<\/p>\n\n

              Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
              • A1<\/b>Chunks only: fui<\/span>, fue<\/span>, com\u00ed<\/span>, jugu\u00e9<\/span>, vi<\/span>.<\/li>
              • A2<\/b>Regular verbs in all persons, ser<\/span> \/ ir<\/span>, hacer<\/span>, tener<\/span>; time markers.<\/li>
              • B1<\/b>All the irregulars above, spelling changes, preterite versus imperfect in a short story.<\/li>
              • B2<\/b>Stem changers, verbs that change meaning, preterite versus perfect, and the preterite with the subjunctive: Me pidi\u00f3 que viniera.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                At KS3, pupils can tell a weekend or a holiday in the first person with a handful of verbs. For GCSE, aim for the first and third persons of the top verbs without hesitation, then the plural.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Habl\u00e9, com\u00ed, viv\u00ed, fui, tuve, hice: preterite endings, the irregulars that matter, and when to choose it over the imperfect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":43,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Spanish Preterite: Endings, Irregulars, Uses | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"The Spanish preterite in full tables: regular endings, spelling changes, key irregular verbs, and how it differs from the imperfect and the perfect tense.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"passe","_vd_target":"es","_vd_module":"rueda","_vd_level":"A2\u2013B1","_vd_minutes":"9","_vd_card_word":"fui\u2026","_vd_answer":"The Spanish preterite (pret\u00e9rito indefinido<\/span>) describes completed actions at a specific time in the past. Regular -ar verbs take -\u00e9, -aste, -\u00f3, -amos, -asteis, -aron (habl\u00e9<\/span>); -er and -ir verbs share -\u00ed, -iste, -i\u00f3, -imos, -isteis, -ieron (com\u00ed<\/span>, viv\u00ed<\/span>). The key irregulars are fui<\/span> (ser and ir), tuve<\/span>, hice<\/span>, estuve<\/span>, pude<\/span>, dije<\/span>, di<\/span> and vi<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What is the preterite tense in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"The pret\u00e9rito indefinido<\\\/span> (or pret\u00e9rito perfecto simple<\\\/span>) is the simple past: it describes completed actions at a specific time, such as Ayer fui al cine<\\\/span> (Yesterday I went to the cinema).\"},{\"q\":\"What are the preterite endings in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"-ar: -\u00e9, -aste, -\u00f3, -amos, -asteis, -aron. -er and -ir: -\u00ed, -iste, -i\u00f3, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect?\",\"a\":\"The preterite tells what happened, as a completed event (Fuimos a la playa<\\\/span>); the imperfect describes, or gives habits and background (Hac\u00eda sol<\\\/span>, \u00cdbamos todos los veranos<\\\/span>).\"},{\"q\":\"Is \\\"pass\u00e9 simple\\\" the same as the Spanish preterite?\",\"a\":\"French schools call the pret\u00e9rito indefinido<\\\/span> \\\"pass\u00e9 simple\\\" by analogy, but in Spanish it is a tense of everyday speech, whereas the French pass\u00e9 simple is mostly literary. In English it is the preterite.\"},{\"q\":\"Why are ser and ir the same in the preterite?\",\"a\":\"Both verbs share the forms fui<\\\/span>, fuiste<\\\/span>, fue<\\\/span>, fuimos<\\\/span>, fuisteis<\\\/span>, fueron<\\\/span>. Fui a Madrid<\\\/span> means \\\"I went\\\"; Fue genial<\\\/span> means \\\"it was great\\\".\"},{\"q\":\"Do irregular preterite forms have accents?\",\"a\":\"No: tuve<\\\/span>, hizo<\\\/span>, dijo<\\\/span>, fue<\\\/span>, dio<\\\/span> and vio<\\\/span> have no written accent. Regular forms do: habl\u00e9<\\\/span>, comi\u00f3<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"passe-es","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-102","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}