The preterite tense (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
The preterite tense
What is the preterite tense?
The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions that happened in the past. Think of it as the Spanish equivalent of the English simple past tense (e.g., "I spoke", "you ate", "they lived").
Regular preterite tense
To form the preterite tense of regular verbs, you remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the appropriate preterite endings.
Regular preterite conjugations
| Person | -ar verbs (hablar) | -er verbs (comer) | -ir verbs (vivir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | hablé | comí | viví |
| you | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| he/she/it | habló | comió | vivió |
| we | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| you (plural) | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| they | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
Example sentences:
- Hablé con mi madre ayer. (I spoke with my mother yesterday.)
- Comimos paella en el restaurante. (We ate paella in the restaurant.)
- Vivieron en Madrid durante cinco años. (They lived in Madrid for five years.)
Accent Rule - Don't Make This Common Mistake!
Accents can be significant in the preterite tense. For example:
- Hablo (I speak - present tense)
- Habló (He/She spoke - preterite tense)
The accent changes the meaning completely!
Spelling changes in some verbs
Some verbs have spelling changes in the third person singular and plural forms to maintain pronunciation. These changes are necessary to preserve the original sound of the verb when conjugated.
The most common spelling changes occur in:
- Verbs ending in -ir that change e→i or o→u in the third person forms
- Verbs ending in -eer that change e→y in the third person forms
| Verb | I | you | he/she/it | we | you (plural) | they |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pedir | pedí | pediste | pidió | pedimos | pedisteis | pidieron |
| dormir | dormí | dormiste | durmió | dormimos | dormisteis | durmieron |
| leer | leí | leíste | leyó | leímos | leísteis | leyeron |
Example sentences:
- Pedí una pizza. (I ordered a pizza.)
- Durmió ocho horas. (He/She slept eight hours.)
- Leyeron el periódico. (They read the newspaper.)
Irregular preterite tense
Many common verbs are completely irregular in the preterite tense. These verbs have different stems and don't follow the regular patterns. Unfortunately, these irregular forms must be memorised as there's no predictable pattern to follow.
Key irregular verbs
| Verb | I | you | he/she/it | we | you (plural) | they |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ir/ser | fui | fuiste | fue | fuimos | fuisteis | fueron |
| hacer | hice | hiciste | hizo | hicimos | hicisteis | hicieron |
Critical Point About ir/ser
The verbs ir (to go) and ser (to be) have identical forms in the preterite. You need to use context to work out which verb is being used.
Common irregular preterite stems
These verbs use completely different stems in the preterite tense. Notice how the first person forms don't follow the regular -é ending pattern:
| Infinitive | Preterite stem | English |
|---|---|---|
| dar | di | I gave |
| decir | dije | I said/told |
| estar | estuve | I was |
| poder | pude | I could |
| poner | puse | I put |
| querer | quise | I wanted |
| tener | tuve | I had |
| traer | traje | I brought |
| venir | vine | I came |
More irregular first person forms
Some verbs are regular in most forms but have spelling changes in the first person to maintain the correct pronunciation:
| Infinitive | First person | English |
|---|---|---|
| cruzar | crucé | I crossed |
| empezar | empecé | I started |
| jugar | jugué | I played |
| llegar | llegué | I arrived |
| tocar | toqué | I played/touched |
Example sentences:
- Fui al cine anoche. (I went to the cinema last night.)
- Hizo los deberes. (He/She did the homework.)
- Tuve un problema. (I had a problem.)
Practice exercise
Practice Exercise: Present vs Preterite
Identify whether each sentence uses present or preterite tense, then translate into English:
- Voy a Bolivia.
- Llegué a las seis.
- Navego por Internet.
- Escuchó música.
- Fue a una fiesta de cumpleaños.
- Hizo frío y llovió un poco.
- Vimos a Pablo en el mercado.
- Jugué al baloncesto en la playa.
Answers:
- Present - I go/I'm going to Bolivia.
- Preterite - I arrived at six o'clock.
- Present - I surf/I'm surfing the Internet.
- Preterite - He/She listened to music.
- Preterite - He/She went to a birthday party.
- Preterite - It was cold and it rained a little.
- Preterite - We saw Pablo in the market.
- Preterite - I played basketball on the beach.
Key Points to Remember:
- The preterite tense describes completed actions in the past
- Regular verbs follow predictable patterns, but accents are crucial
- Many common verbs are completely irregular and must be memorised
- Some verbs have spelling changes in the third person forms
- Context helps distinguish between ir and ser since they have identical preterite forms