How do you do Simple Past tense in Spanish?
It’s time to learn how to conjugate the Simple Past tense in Spanish. Study Spanish verb conjugations with online lessons. Read about the Spanish grammar rules.
ar, er, ir
The Spanish Preterite Tense is used to describe actions completed at a point in the past.
Tip: The Spanish Preterite is not used to describe habitual or continuous actions in the past with no specific beginning or end. In such cases, the Imperfect Tense is used.
Note: There are only two sets of endings for regular Preterite verbs, one for “- ar” verbs and one for both “- er” and “– ir” verbs. To conjugate a regular verb in the Preterite Tense, simply remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir)
and add the Preterite ending that matches the subject.
Simple Past Tense Conjugation in Spanish
Regular Preterite Verb Endings
Verbs ending in -ar
Subject-ar Endings
Yo (I)-é
Tú (You)(Informal)-aste
Usted (You)(Formal)-ó
Él/Ella(He/She)-ó
Nosotros(as)(We)-amos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-asteis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-aron
Ellos(as)(They)-aron
Subject-hablar–English translation
Yo (I)–hablé–I spoke
Tú (You)(Informal)–hablaste–You spoke
Usted (You)(Formal)–habló–You spoke
Él/Ella(He/She)–habló–He/She spoke
Nosotros(as)(We)–hablamos–We spoke
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)–hablasteis–You spoke
Ustedes(You)(Formal)–hablaron–You spoke
Ellos(as)(They)–hablaron–They spoke
Verbs ending in -er
Subject-er Endings
Yo (I)-í
Tú (You)(Informal)-iste
Usted (You)(Formal)-ió
Él/Ella(He/She)-ió
Nosotros(as)(We)-imos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-isteis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-ieron
Ellos(as)(They)-ieron
Subject–comer–English translation
Yo (I)–Comí–I ate
Tú (You)(Informal)–Comiste–You ate
Usted (You)(Formal)–Comió–You ate
Él/Ella(He/She)–Comió–He/She ate
Nosotros(as)(We)–Comimos–We ate
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)–Comisteis–You ate
Ustedes(You)(Formal)–Comieron–You ate
Ellos(as)(They)–Comieron–They ate
Verbs ending in -ir
Subject-ir Endings
Yo (I)-í
Tú (You)(Informal)-iste
Usted (You)(Formal)-ió
Él/Ella(He/She)-ó
Nosotros(as)(We)-imos
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)-isteis
Ustedes(You)(Formal)-ieron
Ellos(as)(They)-ieron
Subject–vivir–English translation
Yo (I)–viví–I lived
Tú (You)(Informal)–viviste–You lived
Usted (You)(Formal)–vivió–You lived
Él/Ella(He/She)–vivió–He/She lived
Nosotros(as)(We)–vivimos–We lived
Vosotros(as)(You)(Informal)–vivisteis–You lived
Ustedes(You)(Formal)–vivieron–You lived
Ellos(as)(They)–vivieron–They lived
Simple Past – Examples. Uses of the Preterite
The Preterite is used to talk about completed actions in the past. More specifically, it is used to talk about beginnings and ends, things that took place on specific days or dates, at specific times or during specific time periods, and events in a sequence.
Completed Events
The Preterite is used to talk about completed events, especially those with very clear beginnings and ends.
e.g.
Compré un coche nuevo. – I bought a new car.
Humberto y Reina se casaron. – Humbert and Reina got married.
Roberto nació en Costa Rica. – Roberto was born in Costa Rica.
Beginnings and Ends
Beginnings and ends themselves are also talked about using the Preterite. Key verbs you’ll see used to talk about beginnings and ends in the past are empezar(to begin),comenzar(to begin), terminar(to finish), and acabar (to end).
e.g.
Empezóa nevar. – It began to snow.
La película terminó con una sorpresa. – The movie ended with a surprise.
Specific Times and Dates
The Preterite is used to talk about past events or actions that occurred on specific days or dates, at specific times, and during specific time periods.
e.g.
Regresé anoche a las diez. – I got back last night at ten.
Vivióen Perú por tres meses. – He lived in Peru for three months.
Leíste este libro el mes pasado. – You read this book last month.
Nacho nació el tres de Agosto. – Nacho was born on August third.
Events in a Sequence
The Preterite is used for listing past events that took place in a sequence.
e.g.
Me levanté, me vestí, y salípara la fiesta. – I got up, got dressed, and left for the party.
Tú entraste, bebiste un vaso de agua y comisteuna hamburguesa.- You came in, drank a glass of water, and ate a hamburger.
Learn more about the Spanish verb tenses
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