when would i need to use the preterite
http://www.studyspanish.com/verbs/lessons/pretreg.htm
Let me add that the usual English translation is:
habló = he spoke, he DID speak
Sra
when you are talking in past tense. for example: you went swimming yesterday.
The preterite tense is used in Spanish to talk about completed actions in the past. Here are some situations in which you would need to use the preterite:
1. Describing a specific event in the past: When you want to talk about a specific action or event that happened and finished at a specific point in the past. For example:
- Ayer fui al cine. (Yesterday, I went to the movies.)
- Compré un regalo para mi amiga. (I bought a gift for my friend.)
2. Narrating a series of events: When you want to describe a series of actions or events that took place in the past. This is often used when telling stories or recounting past experiences. For example:
- Me levanté temprano, me duché y desayuné. Luego salí de casa. (I got up early, showered, and had breakfast. Then I left the house.)
- Visitamos varios lugares históricos durante nuestras vacaciones. (We visited several historical places during our vacation.)
3. Talking about actions with a specific duration: When you want to talk about actions that had a specific duration in the past. For example:
- Estudié español durante tres años. (I studied Spanish for three years.)
- Caminé por el parque durante una hora. (I walked in the park for an hour.)
4. Expressing sudden or unexpected actions: When you want to talk about actions that happened suddenly or unexpectedly. For example:
- Empezó a llover cuando salí de la tienda. (It started raining when I left the store.)
- De repente, llegó mi hermano. (Suddenly, my brother arrived.)
To use the preterite tense, you conjugate the verb according to the subject pronoun and add the corresponding preterite endings. Regular verbs follow specific patterns, while irregular verbs have unique conjugations that need to be memorized.