Simple Past Tense in Spanish (Pretérito Indefinido)
The simple past tense, also known as "pretérito indefinido," is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past. This lesson will introduce you to the conjugation of regular and irregular verbs in the simple past tense, examples, and exercises to help you practice.
Conjugation of Regular Verbs
-AR Verbs
To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the simple past tense, remove the -ar ending and add the following endings:
- Yo: -é
- Tú: -aste
- Él/Ella/Usted: -ó
- Nosotros/Nosotras: -amos
- Vosotros/Vosotras: -asteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -aron
Example: Hablar (to speak)
- Yo hablé
- Tú hablaste
- Él/Ella/Usted habló
- Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos
- Vosotros/Vosotras hablasteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaron
-ER and -IR Verbs
To conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the simple past tense, remove the -er or -ir ending and add the following endings:
- Yo: -í
- Tú: -iste
- Él/Ella/Usted: -ió
- Nosotros/Nosotras: -imos
- Vosotros/Vosotras: -isteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -ieron
Example: Comer (to eat)
- Yo comí
- Tú comiste
- Él/Ella/Usted comió
- Nosotros/Nosotras comimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras comisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comieron
Example: Vivir (to live)
- Yo viví
- Tú viviste
- Él/Ella/Usted vivió
- Nosotros/Nosotras vivimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras vivisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivieron
Conjugation of Irregular Verbs
Some verbs have irregular stems and endings in the simple past tense. Here are a few common ones:
- Ser/Ir (to be/to go)
- Yo fui
- Tú fuiste
- Él/Ella/Usted fue
- Nosotros/Nosotras fuimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras fuisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes fueron
- Tener (to have)
- Yo tuve
- Tú tuviste
- Él/Ella/Usted tuvo
- Nosotros/Nosotras tuvimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras tuvisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tuvieron
-
- Hacer (to do/make)
- Yo hice
- Tú hiciste
- Él/Ella/Usted hizo
- Nosotros/Nosotras hicimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras hicisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hicieron
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- Estar (to be)
- Yo estuve
- Tú estuviste
- Él/Ella/Usted estuvo
- Nosotros/Nosotras estuvimos
- Vosotros/Vosotras estuvisteis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes estuvieron
Examples and Usage
- Ayer hablé con mi amigo. - Yesterday I spoke with my friend.
- Comimos en un restaurante el sábado pasado. - We ate at a restaurant last Saturday.
- Vivieron en México por tres años. - They lived in Mexico for three years.
- Él fue al cine anoche. - He went to the cinema last night.
- Tuve una reunión importante ayer. - I had an important meeting yesterday.
- Hizo su tarea antes de la cena. - He did his homework before dinner.
- Estuvimos en la playa todo el día. - We were at the beach all day.
Exercises
Exercise 1: Conjugate the Verbs
Conjugate the following verbs in the simple past tense.
- (hablar) Yo _____, Tú _____, Él/Ella/Usted _____, Nosotros/Nosotras _____, Vosotros/Vosotras _____, Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes _____
- (comer) Yo _____, Tú _____, Él/Ella/Usted _____, Nosotros/Nosotras _____, Vosotros/Vosotras _____, Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes _____
- (vivir) Yo _____, Tú _____, Él/Ella/Usted _____, Nosotros/Nosotras _____, Vosotros/Vosotras _____, Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes _____
Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks with the correct simple past tense form of the verb in parentheses.
- Nosotros _____ (viajar) a España el verano pasado.
- Ella _____ (escribir) una carta a su abuela.
- Tú _____ (leer) un libro muy interesante.
- Ellos _____ (correr) en el parque ayer.
- Yo _____ (comprar) un coche nuevo.
Exercise 3: Translate the Sentences
Translate the following sentences from English to Spanish.
- I spoke with the manager.
- We ate dinner at 8 PM.
- She lived in Paris for two years.
- You (informal) did the homework.
- They went to the meeting.
Exercise 4: Write the Sentences
Write sentences in Spanish using the simple past tense of the given verbs.
- (hacer) Tú
- (decir) Nosotros
- (poder) Ellos
- (tener) Ella
- (venir) Yo
Example: Tú hiciste un buen trabajo. - You did a good job.
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