Talk about completed past actions using the preterite tense.
The pretérito describes completed actions in the past.
Regular -ar verbs (hablar):
Regular -er/-ir verbs (comer):
Common irregulars:
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ayer | Yesterday | Ayer fui al cine. |
| Hablé | I spoke | Hablé con María. |
| Comí | I ate | Comí una pizza. |
| Fui | I went / I was | Fui a la playa. |
| Tuve | I had | Tuve un buen día. |
| La semana pasada | Last week | La semana pasada viajé. |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Hablé | ah-BLEH | Stress on the final syllable in preterite |
| Comí | koh-MEE | Accent marks show stress |
| Fui | fwee | One syllable — irregular verb ir/ser |
Preterite vs Imperfect: The preterite is for completed, one-time actions (Ayer comí paella). The imperfect is for ongoing or habitual past actions.
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