Regular Verbs in the Preterite Tense in Spanish

This section explains Regular Verbs in the Preterite Tense in Spanish. The preterite tense is used in Spanish to talk about actions that were completed in the past. It is one of the most important past tenses in Spanish and is often used to describe specific actions, events, or situations that happened once and are finished.

In this section, we will look at the regular verbs in the preterite tense, as well as examples for both Foundation and Higher levels.

How to Form the Preterite Tense for Regular Verbs

To conjugate regular verbs in the preterite tense, we must know the correct endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. These endings are consistent and must be added to the verb stem.

Regular -AR Verbs (e.g., hablar = to speak)

Regular -ER Verbs (e.g., comer = to eat)

Regular -IR Verbs (e.g., vivir = to live)

 Examples of Regular Verbs in the Preterite Tense

Now let’s look at some examples of regular verbs in the preterite tense.

Regular -AR Verbs (e.g., hablar)

• Yo hablé con mi amigo ayer (I spoke with my friend yesterday)
• Tú estudiaste mucho para el examen (You studied a lot for the exam)
• Nosotros viajamos a España el año pasado (We travelled to Spain last year)
• Ellos cantaron en el concierto (They sang at the concert)

Regular -ER Verbs (e.g., comer)

• Yo comí una pizza ayer (I ate a pizza yesterday)
• Ella bebió agua después del ejercicio (She drank water after the exercise)
• Nosotros aprendimos mucho en la clase de historia (We learnt a lot in the history class)
• Ellos vendieron su coche (They sold their car)

Regular -IR Verbs (e.g., vivir)

• Yo viví en Londres por tres años (I lived in London for three years)
• Tú escribiste una carta (You wrote a letter)
• Nosotros discutimos sobre el proyecto (We discussed the project)
• Ellos decidieron ir al cine (They decided to go to the cinema)

Foundation Tier Examples

At the foundation tier, you are expected to conjugate regular verbs correctly and use them in simple sentences. These sentences often talk about completed actions.

Examples:

• Yo bailé en la fiesta (I danced at the party)
• Tú miraste la televisión ayer (You watched television yesterday)
• Él corrió en el parque (He ran in the park)
• Nosotros tomamos fotos (We took photos)
• Ellos escribieron un ensayo (They wrote an essay)

Higher Tier Examples

For higher-tier students, it’s important to use a wider range of vocabulary and more complex sentences, with details about the time, place, or reason for the actions. You should also try to use time expressions (e.g., ayer, el año pasado, la semana pasada) to give more context.

Examples:

• El verano pasado, viajé a Italia con mi familia y visité muchas ciudades históricas (Last summer, I travelled to Italy with my family and visited many historical cities)
• Nosotros celebramos el cumpleaños de mi madre en su casa y comimos pastel (We celebrated my mother's birthday at her house and ate cake)
• Hace dos días, comí una paella en un restaurante típico de Valencia (Two days ago, I ate a paella in a traditional restaurant in Valencia)
• Ellos terminaron el proyecto en una semana porque trabajaron mucho (They finished the project in a week because they worked hard)

Negative Form of the Preterite Tense

To form negative sentences in the preterite tense, place ‘no’ before the conjugated verb.

Examples:

• No comí nada ayer (I didn’t eat anything yesterday)
• Ella no estudió para el examen (She didn’t study for the exam)
• Nosotros no vimos la película (We didn’t watch the movie)
• Ellos no viajaron el verano pasado (They didn’t travel last summer)

Questions in the Preterite Tense

To form questions in the preterite tense, invert the subject and the verb. The structure is the same as forming questions in the present tense.

Examples:

• ¿Hablaste con tu amigo ayer? (Did you speak with your friend yesterday?)
• ¿Viajaron a París el año pasado? (Did they travel to Paris last year?)
• ¿Comiste en un restaurante? (Did you eat at a restaurant?)
• ¿Viviste en España cuando eras joven? (Did you live in Spain when you were young?)

Key Points to Remember

• The preterite tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past.
• Regular verbs are conjugated by adding specific endings to the verb stems:
  • -ar verbs: é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron.
  • -er verbs: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron.
  • -ir verbs: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron.
• Time expressions like ayer (yesterday), el año pasado (last year), and la semana pasada (last week) are often used to give more context to the action.
• For negative sentences, place ‘no’ before the verb.
• To ask questions, invert the subject and verb.

Summary Table of Regular Verb Conjugations in the Preterite Tense

Conclusion

The preterite tense is essential for talking about actions that were completed in the past. Regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs follow a simple set of conjugation rules, and you can form negative sentences and questions just like in the present tense. Practice using regular verbs in the preterite tense to express what you did, where you went, and what happened in the past.