The Preterite Tense (Past Tense)

Introduction to the Preterite Tense

Now that you can describe present actions, it’s time to talk about past events. The preterite tense is used to describe` completed actions that happened at a specific time. In this chapter, you will learn how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the preterite and use them to describe past experiences at Ritmo del Río.

5.1 Regular Verbs in the Preterite

Conjugation Patterns

-AR Verbs

Verb

Yo

Tú

Él/Ella/Usted

Nosotros/as

Vosotros/as

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes

Caminar (to walk)

Yo - caminé

Tu - caminaste

Él/Ella/Usted - caminó

Nosotros - caminamos

Vosotros - caminasteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - caminaron

Nadar (to swim)

Yo - nadé

Tu - nadaste

Él/Ella/Usted - nadó

Nosotros - nadamos

Vosotros - nadasteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - nadaron

Visitar (to visit)

Yo - visité

Tu - visitaste

Él/Ella/Usted - visitó

Nosotros - visitamos

Vosotros - visitasteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - visitaron

-ER and -IR Verbs

Verb

Yo

Tú

Él/Ella/Usted

Nosotros/as

Vosotros/as

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes

Comer (to eat)

Yo - comí

Tu - comiste

Él/Ella/Usted - comió

Nosotros - comimos

Vosotros - comisteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - comieron

Vivir (to live)

Yo - viví

Tu - viviste

Él/Ella/Usted - vivió

Nosotros - vivimos

Vosotros - vivisteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - vivieron

Salir (to leave)

Yo - salí

Tu - saliste

Él/Ella/Usted - salió

Nosotros - salimos

Vosotros - salisteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - salieron

Examples in Context:

• Ayer caminé por la selva y vi muchas aves. (Yesterday, I walked through the jungle and saw many birds.)

• Nosotros nadamos en el río después de la caminata. (We swam in the river after the hike.)

• Ellos visitaron la finca y aprendieron sobre el cacao. (They visited the farm and learned about cacao.)

Activity: Conjugate these verbs in the preterite: cocinar (to cook), beber (to drink), escribir (to write)

5.2 Irregular Verbs in the Preterite

Some verbs do not follow regular patterns in the preterite tense and must be memorized.

Irregular Preterite Verbs (No Accents)

Verb

Meaning

Yo

Tú

Él/Ella/Usted

Nosotros/as

Vosotros/as

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes

ir / ser (to go / to be)

Yo - fui

Tu - fuiste

Él/Ella/Usted - fue

Nosotros - fuimos

Vosotros - fuisteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - fueron

Hacer (to do / to make)

yo - hice

tu - hiciste

Él/Ella/Usted - hizo

Nosotros - hicimos

Vosotros - hicisteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - hicieron

Ver (to see)

Yo - vi

Tu - viste

Él/Ella/Usted - vio

Nosotros - vimos

Vosotros - visteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - vieron

Dar (to give)

Yo - di

Tu - diste

Él/Ella/Usted - dio

Nosotros - dimos

Vosotros - disteis

Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes - dieron

Examples in Context:

• El guía fue muy amable y nos enseñó sobre las plantas. (The guide was very kind and taught us about the plants.)

• Hice muchas fotos del paisaje. (I took many pictures of the landscape.)

• Nosotros vimos una cascada escondida en la selva. (We saw a hidden waterfall in the jungle.)

Activity: Write sentences using ir, hacer, and ver in the preterite tense.

5.3 -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR Verbs in the Preterite

Verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar have a spelling change in the yo form to maintain pronunciation.

Changes in the Yo Form

Verb Type

Change

Example Verb

Yo Form

-CAR

c → qu

buscar (to search)

busqué

-GAR

g → gu

llegar (to arrive)

llegué

-ZAR

z → c

empezar (to start)

empecé

Examples in Context:

• Yo busqué información sobre las aves antes del tour. (I looked for information about the birds before the tour.)

• Ayer llegué temprano al lodge para la caminata. (Yesterday, I arrived early at the lodge for the hike.)

• Empecé mi clase de español con Carlos y Matías. (I started my Spanish class with Carlos and Matías.)

Activity: Conjugate pagar (to pay), practicar (to practice), cruzar (to cross) in the preterite.

5.4 Using the Preterite to Talk About Experiences

When using the preterite tense, it is common to include time expressions that indicate when the action happened.

Common Time Expressions for the Preterite

Spanish

English

ayer

yesterday

anoche

last night

la semana pasada

last week

el año pasado

last year

hace dos días

two days ago

esta mañana

this morning

Examples in Context:

• Ayer exploré la selva con un grupo de turistas. (Yesterday, I explored the jungle with a group of tourists.)

• La semana pasada aprendimos a hacer chocolate artesanal. (Last week, we learned how to make artisanal chocolate.)

• Hace dos días monté a caballo en la montaña. (Two days ago, I rode a horse in the mountains.)

Activity: Write three sentences describing past experiences at Ritmo del Río using time expressions.

Chapter Summary

• The preterite tense is used for completed past actions.

• Regular verbs in the preterite follow distinct conjugation patterns.

• Irregular verbs must be memorized, including verbs like ser, ir, hacer, ver, and dar.

• -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR verbs change spelling in the yo form.

• Time expressions help indicate when past events occurred.

Final Activity: Real-World Application

Challenge: Interview another student or staff member at Ritmo del Río and ask about their experiences using the preterite. Record their responses and write a short summary.

Next Chapter: Now that you can describe past events, we will learn about the imperfect tense and how to describe ongoing past actions and habits!