Preterit Tense
The preterit tense is a simple past tense, used to express completion, finality, or specific events.
I went to the store yesterday.
They ate a sandwich for lunch.
One time, I went to Peru.
We exercised five times.
A good acronym for remembering when to use the Preterit tense is PICS.
Past – El año pasado, yo fui a Cuba. Last year, I went to Cuba.
Interrupting actions – Estaba lloviendo cuando oí el ruido. It was raining when I heard the noise. (Note that heardis the preterit verb)
Completed – Yo hice la tarea.I did the homework. (It is implied that that action is done)
Specific – Esta mañana, yo desayuné. This morning I ate breakfast.
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Ella Usted |
-ó |
Ellas Ustedes |
-aron |
| Hablar | |
| hablé | hablamos |
| hablaste | hablasteis |
| habló | hablaron |
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Ella Usted |
-ió |
Ellas Ustedes |
-ieron |
| Comer | |
| comí | comimos |
| comiste | comisteis |
| comió | comieron |
There are a few word and phrases that can be a hint to use the preterit tense:
de repente – suddenly
de prisa – quickly
entonces – then
en cuanto – as soon as
una vez – one time
any phrase that refers to a specific time or event
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