L.O – to learn how to form and use the PRETERITE tense in Spanish

The PRETERITE tense is used to talk about completed actions in the

past. It is used:

1. in telling stories and for non descriptive events.

2. for actions that were completed in the past. (FINISHED events)

3. for actions in the past which happened only once. (SINGLE events)

4. for actions that were repeated but finished in the past. (REPEATED events)

5. for actions that were part of a chain of events. (CHAIN events)

6. for actions that took place over a specific period of time. It can be used with the following expressions of time:

ayer (yesterday), anteayer (the day before yesterday) , la semana pasada (last week), el mes/año pasado (last month/year), el otro día (the other day), hace dos días (2 days ago), en 1710.... etc

Examples: Él cenó, vio la tele y se acostó. He had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Ayer te llamé por teléfono. I rang you yesterday.

There are two sets of regular endings to learn:1. -AR 2. -ER/ -IRAs with other tenses you have to:1. take the infinitive.2. take off the infinitive ending. 3. add the endings for the tense.

-AR endings

-é-aste-ó-amos-aron

-ER / -IR endings

-í-iste-ió-imos-ieron

Notice the ‘we’ending in –ARand –IR verbs is the same asin the presenttense.

hablar = to speak / talk

habl

habl

habl

habl

habl

Regular -AR verbs

é

aste

ó

amos

aron

I spoke, I did speak.

You spoke, you did speak.

He /she/ it spoke, did speak.

We spoke, we did speak.

They spoke, they did speak.

Choose 3 of the verbs below and write them out in full:

aceptar = to accept cantar = to sing llenar = to fill amar = to love charlar = to chat llorar= to cryarreglar = to fix dibujar = to draw mirar = to look atayudar = to help entrar = to go in saltar = to jumpbajar = to go down ganar = to win viajar = to travelbailar = to dance lavar = to wash tomar el sol – to sunbathe

Regular -AR verbs

The preterite tense 5

comer = to eat

com

com

com

com

com

í

iste

ió

imos

ieron

Regular -ER verbs

I ate, I did eat.

You ate, you did eat.

He / she / it ate, did eat.

We ate, we did eat.

They ate, they did eat.

The preterite tense 6

beber = to drink meter = to put

correr = to run vender = to sell

coser = to sew

Regular -ER verbs

Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.

The preterite tense 8

ABRIR= to open

abr

abr

abr

abr

abr

í

iste

ió

imos

ieron

Regular -IR verbs

I opened, I did open.

You opened, you did open.

He / she / it opened, did open.

We opened, we did open.

They opened, they did open.

Like ABRIR

batir = to beat escribir = to write

cubrir = to cover permitir = to allow recibir = to receive

Regular -IR verbs

Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.

The preterite tense 11

Elige la forma del verbo más apropiada

• 1. (Tú) bebí/bebiste mucha Coca-Cola en la cafetería.

• 2. (Zara) visitó/visitaron Marruecos.• 3. (Nosotros) escribimos/escribieron unas

postales.• 4. (yo) tomaste/tomé el sol en la playa.• 5. (yo) compró/compré muchos regalos.

explicar = to explain

expliqué I explainedexplicaste you explainedexplicó he/she/it explainedexplicamos we explainedexplicasteis you explainedexplicaron they explained

The first group of irregular verbs are only slightly irregular as they show stem changes* in the first person singular only. There are three types:1. Verbs which end in –GAR change to GUÉ2. Verbs which end in –CAR change to QUÉ3. Verbs which end in –ZAR change to CÉ

jugar = to play

jugué I playedjugaste you playedjugó he/she/it playedjugamos we playedjugasteis you playedjugaron they played

cruzar = to cross

crucé I crossedcruzaste you crossedcruzó he/she/it crossedcruzamos we crossedcruzasteis you crossedcruzaron they crossed

Stem changing verbs

apagar = to put out acercarse = to approachcazar = to hunt cargar = to load atacar = to attack empezar = to begindescargar = to unload buscar = to look for organizar = to organize entregar = to hand over secar = to dry rezar = to prayllegar = to arrive pescar = to fish utilizar = to use navegar = to sail chocar contra = to crash into pagar = to pay sacar = to take out regar= to water marcar = to score a goal, tocar= to touch dial a number almorzar = to have lunch

Stem changing verbs

The following verbs work in the same way. Can you write out three of them in full?

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in the preterite tense

1. (I) ______________(comprar) un vestido bonito.2. (you (singular) ______________( tomar) el sol.

3. (I) ______________( comer) chocolate.4. (We) ____________( bailar) en las discotecas.

5. (Maria)_________________(pasar) una semana en Valencia.

6. (I) _______________(ir) de vacaciones.7. (We) ____________(ir) a Paris.

Irregular verbs in preterite- no accents!

• Ir – to go / ser – to be Tener – to haveFui- I went TuveFuiste –you went TuvisteFue – he/she went TuvoFuimos – we went TuvimosFueron – they went Tuvieron

Hacer – to do/ to makeHice – I didHiciste – you didHizo – he/she didHicimos – we didHicieron – they did