Preterite - Pretérito Indefinido
Irregular Preterite Tense Verbs
The preterite is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish. It is used when the speaker wants to focus on the beginning or ending of an action in the past.
The table below shows how the preterite is formed for the regular verbs hablar (to speak), correr (to run), and escribir (to write).
Preterite Tense - hablar, correr, and escribir
hablar (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| yo | hablé |
(I speak) |
| tú | hablaste |
(you speak) |
| Ud./él/ella | habló |
(you/he/she speaks) |
| nosotros (as) | hablamos |
(we speak) |
| vosotros (as) | hablasteis |
(you guys speak) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | hablaron |
(you all/they speak) |
correr (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| yo | corrí |
(I run) |
| tú | corriste |
(you run) |
| Ud./él/ella | corrió |
(you/he/she runs) |
| nosotros (as) | corrimos |
(we run) |
| vosotros (as) | corristeis |
(you guys run) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | corrieron |
(you all/they run) |
escribir (full conjugation)(example sentences)
| yo | escribí |
(I write) |
| tú | escribiste |
(you write) |
| Ud./él/ella | escribió |
(you/he/she writes) |
| nosotros (as) | escribimos |
(we write) |
| vosotros (as) | escribisteis |
(you guys write) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | escribieron |
(you all/they write) |
Footnote: yo = I, tú = you (informal), usted (Ud.) = you (formal), él = he, ella = she, nosotros = we (males/mixed group), nosotras = we (females), vosotros = you guys (informal, males/mixed group), vosotras = you guys (informal, females), ellos = they (males/mixed group), ellas = they(females), ustedes (Uds.) = you all (formal)
Uses of the Preterite Past Tense
Escribí una carta a mi abuela.
I wrote a letter to my grandmother.
I wrote a letter to my grandmother.
Llegamos a casa muy tarde anoche.
We got home very late last night.
We got home very late last night.
Mis hermanos jugaron en el parque todo el día.
My brothers played in the park all day.
My brothers played in the park all day.
Additional Information
Pretérito Indefinido de Verbos - Spanish Preterit Preterite Tense - PASSÉ INDÉFINI DES VERBES
Category: General Spanish