EL PRETERITO:

Question

THE PRETERIT OF REGULAR VERBS:

-AR:  hablar = to speak
	  yo hablé = I spoke, I DID speak
	  tú hablaste
	  él/ella/usted habló
	  nosotros/nosotras hablamos
	  vosotros/vosotras hablasteis
	  ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron
endings:  é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron

-ER:  comer = to eat
	  yo comí = I ate, I DID eat
	  tú comiste
	  él/ella/usted comió
	  nosotros/nosotras comimos
	  vosotros/vosotras comisteis
	  ellos/ellas/ustedes comieron
endings: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron

-IR:   vivir = to live
	  yo viví = I lived, I DID live
	  tú viviste
	  él /ella/usted vivió
	  nosotros/nosotras vivimos
	  vosotros/vosotras vivisteis
	  ellos/ellas/ustedes vivieron
endings:  í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron

NOTE:  the nosotros form for -ar verbs and -ir verbs looks exactly like the Present Indicative Tense.  (the first tense you learned)  It is the -er verb that is easy to distinguish between the Present and the Preterit.  To form the Preterit, drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the endings.

THE PRETERIT OF IRREGULAR VERBS:

The verbs listed below are irregular in the Preterit.  (Note the stems to which you add the endings.)  They ALL have the following endings (whether they are -ar, -er or -ir verbs) WITH NO ACCENT MARKS.
endings:  -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron (OR -eron if the stem has: j, ll or ñ.

andar = to walk
	anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, 	anduvieron
caber = to fit
	cupe, cupiste, cupo, cupimos, cupisteis, cupieron
decir = to say, to tell
	dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, *dijeron
estar = to be
	estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, 	estuvieron
hacer = to do, to make
	hice, hiciste, *hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron
	(if the él form were “hico” it would have a “k” sound 	and it is necessary to keep the “s” or “th” (Spain) 	sound.)
poder = to be able, “can”
	pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron
	(Note: poner = to place, to put (poder & poner are 	often confused by students, so look carefully = poder 	keeps the “d” and poner does not keep the “n”)
poner = to place, to put
	puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron 
producir = to produce (“-cir” verbs are called inceptive and 	they have the same irregularities in each tense.)
	produje, produjiste, produjo, produjimos, produjisteis, 	*produjeron  (same dropping of the “i” as in decir)
querer = to want, to wish
	quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron
(Remind me when you get to the Imperfect, to explain the difference and to give you the verbs with a “special meaning” in the Preterit!)
saber = to know (a fact or something learned)
	supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron
tener = to have
	tue, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron
traer = to bring
	traje (yes, looks just the noun “el traje” for “suit”), 	trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajisteis, *trajeron
	(traje el traje = I brought/did bring the suit!)
venir = to come
	vine, viniste, vino (like the noun “el vino” = “wine”), 	vinimos, vinisteis, vinieron
	(él vino con el vino = he came/did come with the 	wine!)
(NOTE:  Verbs ending in -ducir are conjugated like producir.)
conducir = to lead, to drive
	conduje, -ieste, -o, etc.
traducir = to translate
	traduje, -iste, -o, etc.

The following irregular verbs have an ACCENTED “i” except in the third person (singular and plural) where “i” changes to “y.”  It has to do with a dipthong and “u” and “i” are WEAK.  (say that one outloud and it makes more sense?)

caer = to fall
	caí, caíste, cayó, caímos, caísteis, cayeron
	(without the accent mark on the weak “i” the sound 	would 1 syllable only = cay, rhyming with “ay, ay ay”)
creer = to believe
	creí, creíste, creyó, creímos, creísteis, creyeron
	(not cray, without accent mark)
leer = to read
	leí, leíste, leyó, leímos, leísteis, leyeron 
oír = to hear
	oí, oíste, oyó, oímos, oísteis, oyeron

The verbs dar, ser and ir are also irregular in the Preterit.  Dar takes the endings of regular -er, -ir verbs; ser and ir have the same identical forms in the Preterit.  Look for an “a” that you will find when the verb is “ir” to distinguish them.

dar = to give
	di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron (no accents any longer unless you see an old textbook)
ser = to be / ir = to go
	fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron (no longer accent marks in modern texts)

And, NO, we have not yet met the -ir verbs with vowel changes (e--->i) (o--->u).....

Actually, I’m guessing you are in Level II and that is the most difficult year because you get essentially ALL the grammar!  So learn each tense, one at a time.  How to learn best?  Analyze what type of learner you are:
visual = you learn by SEEING what you want to learn, and those bilious colors of green, orange, pink, etc. can help, if  you color code what won’t stick in your memory.
oral = you learn by HEARING what you want to learn.  Putting things on tape with a space afterwards for repeating and later supplying the answer, is just one trick that can be used.
kinesthetic = you learn by DOING what you want to learn.  This is the hardest type of learner but one that remembers far longer, just because it took more work!  You can trace what you want to learn, write it on paper “footsteps” and walk on it, etc. but whatever will involve you PHYSICALLY.
Naturally, there are learners who combine 2 or even 3 of these styles of learning.  Actually I need to HEAR it first (because when you SEE it first, often you ruin the pronunciation!), then SEE it and finally WRITE it.

Sra

Mia · Answer

Hola SraMcGin, Thank you so much for doing this for me-I can't express how grateful I am-this will really helps me alot Thank you again, Mia

Explain Bot · Answer

In the Preterit tense, regular verbs are conjugated differently based on whether they are -AR, -ER, or -IR verbs. Here is how to conjugate regular verbs in the Preterit tense: - For -AR verbs, such as "hablar" (to speak), the endings are: - Yo hablé - Tú hablaste - Él/Ella/Usted habló - Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos - Vosotros/Vosotras hablasteis - Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaron - For -ER verbs, such as "comer" (to eat), the endings are: - Yo comí - Tú comiste - Él/Ella/Usted comió - Nosotros/Nosotras comimos - Vosotros/Vosotras comisteis - Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comieron - For -IR verbs, such as "vivir" (to live), the endings are: - Yo viví - Tú viviste - Él/Ella/Usted vivió - Nosotros/Nosotras vivimos - Vosotros/Vosotras vivisteis - Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivieron Note that the nosotros forms for -AR verbs and -IR verbs look exactly like the Present Indicative Tense. It is the -ER verb that is easy to distinguish between the Present and the Preterit. To form the Preterit, drop the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add the endings. In addition to regular verbs, there are also irregular verbs in the Preterit tense. Here are some examples of commonly used irregular verbs in the Preterit: - andar (to walk): anduve, anduviste, anduvo, anduvimos, anduvisteis, anduvieron - caber (to fit): cupe, cupiste, cupo, cupimos, cupisteis, cupieron - decir (to say, to tell): dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron - estar (to be): estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, estuvieron - hacer (to do, to make): hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron - poder (to be able, "can"): pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron - poner (to place, to put): puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron - querer (to want, to wish): quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron - saber (to know): supe, supiste, supo, supimos, supisteis, supieron - tener (to have): tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron - traer (to bring): traje, trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajisteis, trajeron - venir (to come): vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis, vinieron - caer (to fall): caí, caíste, cayó, caímos, caísteis, cayeron - creer (to believe): creí, creíste, creyó, creímos, creísteis, creyeron - leer (to read): leí, leíste, leyó, leímos, leísteis, leyeron - oír (to hear): oí, oíste, oyó, oímos, oísteis, oyeron - dar (to give): di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron - ser (to be) / ir (to go): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron Additionally, note that verbs like "ser" and "ir" have the same identical forms in the preterit. However, "dar" takes the endings of regular -ER, -IR verbs. To learn the Preterit tense, it is helpful to identify your learning style. Are you a visual learner, an oral learner, or a kinesthetic learner? Once you identify your learning style, you can use specific strategies to reinforce your learning. For visual learners, using color-coding or visual aids can be beneficial. For oral learners, recording and listening to yourself can help with retention. For kinesthetic learners, engaging in physical activities related to the language, such as tracing or writing, can improve memory and understanding. Learning each tense one at a time and practicing regularly is key to mastering Spanish grammar.