5.6: El pretérito de los verbos regulares
- Page ID
- 316403
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Preterite Tense of Regular Verbs
To talk about past events, Spanish uses two simple tenses: the preterite and the imperfect. In this lesson, we will focus on the preterite tense.
Uses
- To talk about actions or states completed in the past
- To express the beginning or the end of a past action
- To narrate a series of past completed actions
- To express an action that had a specific duration
Conjugation of Regular Verbs
In the following conjugations, the endings that must be modified are in bold.
| Subject Pronoun: | -AR Ending Verb: Hablar | -ER, -IR Ending Verbs: Comer, Escribir |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hablé | comí, escribí |
| Tú | hablaste | comiste, escribiste |
| Usted, él, ella | habló | comió, escribió |
| Nosotros, nosotras | hablamos | comimos, escribimos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | hablasteis | comisteis, escribisteis |
| Ustedes, ellos, ellas | hablaron | comieron, escribieron |
- A written accent is needed on the last syllable of the conjugation of "yo" and "Ud., él, ella" form.
- The preterite endings for regular "-er" and "-ir" verbs are identical.
- The "nosotros" forms of regular "-ar" and "-ir" verbs in the preterite are identical to the present tense form. Context will help you determine which tense is being used.
Ejemplos:
- En invierno "compramos" suéteres. In the winter we buy sweaters.
- Anoche "compramos" unas sandalias. Last night we bought some sandals.
- "Escribimos" poemas en clase. We write poems in class.
- Ya "escribimos" dos veces al presidente. We already wrote to the president twice.
Conjugation of -AR and -ER Stem-Changing Verbs
- "-ar" and "-er" ending verbs that have a stem change in the present tense do not have a stem change in the preterite.
| Present | Preterite | Present | Preterite |
|---|---|---|---|
|
e → ie cerrarcierro cerramos cierras cerráis cierra cierran |
no stem change cerrarcerré cerramos cerraste cerrasteis cerró cerraron |
o → ue volvervuelvo volvemos vuelves volvéis vuelve vuelven |
no stem change volvervolví volvimos volviste volvisteis volvió volvieron |
Verbs with Spelling Changes
- Verbs that end in -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR have a spelling change only in the "yo" form. Note: The spelling change is underlined and the conjugated endings are in bold.
| Subject Pronoun | -CAR: Sacar | -GAR: Pagar | -ZAR: Abrazar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | saqué | pagué | abracé |
| Tú | sacaste | pagaste | abrazaste |
| Ud., él, ella | sacó | pagó | abrazó |
| Nosotros, nosotras | sacamos | pagamos | abrazamos |
| Vosotros, vosotras | sacasteis | pagasteis | abrazasteis |
| Uds., ellos, ellas | sacaron | pagaron | abrazaron |
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| anoche | last night | desde... hasta... | from... until... |
| anteayer | the day before yesterday | pasado, pasada | last; past (adjective) |
| el año pasado | last year | la semana pasada | last week |
| ayer | yesterday | una vez; dos veces | once; twice (two times) |
| de repente | suddenly | ya | already |
Ejemplos: Ayer compré una camisa. Vi la televisión anoche. Yesterday, I bought a shirt. I watched TV last night.
Useful Phrases
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué hiciste? | What did you (singular, familiar) do? |
| ¿Qué hizo usted? | What did you (singular, formal) do? |
| ¿Qué hicieron ustedes? | What did you all (formal) do? |
| ¿Qué hizo él? ¿Qué hizo ella? | What did he do? What did she do? |
| ¿Que hicieron ellos? ¿Qué hicieron ellas? | What did they do? |