The Preterite Tense: Regular -ER and -IR Verbs

Spanish: El Pretérito Indefinido: Verbos Regulares en -ER e -IR

Level: A2 Elementary

Category: verbs

Explanation

The preterite tense (pretérito indefinido) is used to talk about completed actions in the past. While -AR verbs have their own endings, -ER and -IR verbs share exactly the same endings, which makes them much easier to learn. For example, "comer" (to eat) and "vivir" (to live) are conjugated with identical endings in the past tense. To form the preterite of these verbs, remove the -ER or -IR ending from the infinitive and add: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. So "comer" becomes "comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron". The verb "vivir" follows the same pattern: "viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron". We use this tense for actions that started and ended at a specific moment in the past. It is very common with expressions like "ayer" (yesterday), "anoche" (last night), "la semana pasada" (last week), and "el año pasado" (last year). For example: "Ayer comí en el restaurante" (Yesterday I ate at the restaurant). It is important to note the written accents (tildes) on the first and third person singular: "comí" and "comió". These accents are mandatory and change the meaning and pronunciation of the word. Without the accent, "comio" would be incorrect.

Examples

• Ayer comi un bocadillo en el cafe. - Yesterday I ate a sandwich at the cafe.
• El camarero bebio agua antes de servir. - The waiter drank water before serving.
• Anoche vivimos una experiencia increible en la ciudad. - Last night we lived an incredible experience in the city.
• Escribi una postal desde el hotel. - I wrote a postcard from the hotel.
• Los turistas aprendieron mucho en el museo. - The tourists learned a lot at the museum.