Learn To Use the Preterite Tense in Spanish To Speak About the Past

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The word “preterite” is not one we hear much in English. Favored by linguists, “preterite” is a fancier way to say “past tense.” But the way tenses are used in one language does not necessarily transfer to other languages. That is the case with Spanish, which uses the preterite to speak about the past but only for certain completed actions. These are actions that occurred and clearly ended (my watch stopped). For other actions in the past, Spanish uses different tenses.

Learning a language requires you to think in new ways, which is why studying Spanish or other languages has health benefits like improved memory. This can come in handy when you tell stories of past adventures you’ve had. Knowing what the preterite tense in Spanish is and how to conjugate it will help you learn Spanish and sound more confident.

What is the preterite tense in Spanish?

The preterite in Spanish is a verb tense used to talk about actions that finished in the past. Spanish has at least two tenses to talk about the past: the pretérito (preterite) and the imperfecto (imperfect). There are also some regional differences for preterite. So, when learning the preterite in Spanish, you don’t just need to know the conjugations; you need to understand how and when it’s used.

3 ways to use the preterite tense in Spanish

The most important use of the Spanish preterite tense is to talk about definitive actions with a clear beginning and end in the past. There are many ways to use the preterite, but it all comes down to three main categories: definitive actions within a time period, definitive actions without a time period, and consecutive actions.

Definitive actions with a temporal phrase

Definitive actions are ones that can be defined: We know when they started and when they finished. These actions can be of any length, but they must have ended before the time of speaking. A temporal phrase is one that refers to time, and certain phrases tend to be used with the preterite.

The completed action in the past can happen in a tiny moment of time like these examples:

• Su corazón paró un segundo al ver a su novia de nuevo. = His heart stopped for a second when he saw his girlfriend again.
• La obra de teatro empezó a las siete de la noche. = The play started at seven o’clock in the evening.
• El vuelo llegó a las doce en punto. = The flight arrived at exactly twelve o’clock.

Conversely, the action can take much longer to occur:

• El examen duró dos horas. = The exam lasted two hours.
• Yo viví en Tokio durante veinte años. = I lived in Tokyo for 20 years.
• La guerra se prolongó por 100 años. = The war extended for 100 years.

In the above example about the girlfriend, we know the woman’s heart stopped because of the time-related phrase un segundo. That clarifying information tells us the length of the action, so it’s definitive.

In the example about living in Tokyo, something similar occurs: the action is defined by the temporal phrase durante veinte años, which tells us that the action is complete. The person no longer lives in Tokyo. Completion is a key concept to remember if you’re wondering when to use the preterite in Spanish. 

Definitive actions with no temporal phrase

Everyday actions or simple conversations with the preterite may not have a temporal phrase included in the sentence or question, but they still need to be completed actions. In the example below, you could add a word like “yesterday” to indicate a time period for the completed action, but it’s not necessary.

• ¿Me llamaste? = You called me?
• ¿Limpiaste tu cuarto? = Did you clean your room?
• ¡Nosotras ganamos el partido! = We won the game!

Completed actions in sequence

Sometimes we list a sequence of events that occurred in the past. This often happens when telling a story, so preterite makes sense to use.

• Él giró a la derecha, vio el monstruo y gritó. = He turned to the right, saw the monster, and yelled.

Although there is no temporal phrase here, we understand that one thing happened after another in the narrative. Each action was completed before the next one began.

Regular verb conjugations for the preterite tense

Like any other language learning process, Spanish grammar requires an understanding of verb conjugations, so we’re including charts with regular preterite verb conjugations in Spanish. To find more conjugations, try searching for a verb in the Spanish Dictionary. You can use the “conjugation” feature to check for all verb conjugations.

What are the 6 preterite tense endings for regular verbs?

Some might say there are only five preterite tense endings, but we like to include the Spanish vosotros form in our verb charts (used mostly in Spain). Remember to remove the -AR, -ER, or -IR at the end of the infinitive form of the verb in order to find what is called the “verb stem” or “verb root.”

Some people prefer to learn just the endings, but we provide the full conjugations for the regular verbs in the following section. You will note that the endings are the same for both -ER and -IR verbs.

Preterite tense endings for regular verbs

*used in most of Spain

Regular verb charts

Regular verbs are ones that always follow a specific form for a conjugation. These charts can be helpful in understanding the big picture of the preterite in Spanish.

Regular -AR verb conjugations: hablar (to talk, to speak)

Regular -ER verb conjugations: comer (to eat)

Regular -IR verb conjugations: vivir (to live)

Verb conjugations for irregular verbs in the preterite

It would not be possible to include all irregular verb conjugations for the preterite here, but the most frequent verbs have been addressed, many of which can be categorized. Bear in mind that ser (to be) and ir (to go) have similar conjugations in the preterite with different meanings, which you can identify best in context with the rest of the information in the sentence.

Stem-changing verbs

Stem-changing verbs are verbs whose stem or root changes upon conjugation. In other words, the conjugated verb can look quite different from the infinitive. Only some of the -IR verbs have preterite stem changes. The -IR verbs whose stems change in the present tense also change in the preterite, but not in the same way. The stem changes occur for the pronouns él/ella/usted (he/she/you) and ellos / ustedes (they / you). 

These verbs have two categories: verbs that change “e” to “i” such as pedir (to ask for) and sentir (to feel), and verbs that change the “o” to “u” such as dormir (to sleep, to put to sleep). 

Stem-changing modal verbs in the preterite

Verbs with spelling changes: -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR verbs

In the preterite tense, the -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR verbs receive a spelling change of their verb stem that is applied before adding the preterite ending, but only to the first person singular. Here are a few examples:

• Yo te busqué. = I looked for you. (buscar)
• Yo te cargué la bolsa. = I carried the bag for you. (cargar)
• Yo comencé a sentirme mal. = I started to feel bad. (comenzar)

Spelling changes for -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR verbs (first person singular)

Verbs with spelling changes: vowel + -ER or -IR

In the case of vowel added to -ER or -IR verbs like caer (to fall), the vowel before the -ER or -IR ending changes to a “y” in the third person singular and plural (él/ella/usted and ellos/ustedes). The other conjugations receive an accented “i” except for the verb traer (to bring). 

• La manzana cayó al suelo. = The apple fell to the ground.
• Yo caí al suelo. = I fell to the ground.

Their full conjugation is in this chart:

However, verbs ending in -UIR such as instruir (to instruct) follow the same pattern as above except they do not accent the “i” in the tú, nosotros, and vosotros form, for instance:

• Yo instruí al grupo ayer. = I instructed the group yesterday.
• Tú instruiste al grupo ayer. = You instructed the group yesterday.

Verbs whose meaning changes in the preterite

There are some verbs that change meaning in the preterite. Here are a few of the most important ones.

Conocer

Conocer means “to know” in the present tense, but it means “met” (in the sense of meeting someone for the first time) in the preterite.

• Yo conozco a tu hermana. = I know your sister.
• Yo conocí a tu hermana anoche. = I met your sister last night.

Poder

The verb poder means “can” or “to be able to” in the present tense. It’s often used to talk about an ability.

• Yo puedo hacer la ensalada para la fiesta. = I can make the salad for the party.

However, in the preterite tense, it has the sense of “managed to do something.”

• Tú pudiste llegar a tiempo al trabajo a pesar del tráfico. = You managed to get to work on time despite the traffic.

In the negative tense, it has the sense of “failed to do something.”

• Tú no pudiste llegar a la cita por el tráfico. = You failed to arrive for the appointment due to the traffic.

Querer

This verb has several meanings in the present including “to want” or “to like” (in an affectionate way). In the preterite, it has the sense of “wanted to do something.” However, it’s conveyed for  a short period of time and perhaps the person doesn’t actually do it.

• Él quiso llamarle. = He wanted to call her.

When it’s in the negative form, it has the sense of “refused.”

• Le ofrecieron un postre, pero no quiso. = They offered him dessert, but he refused.

Saber

This verb means “to know” in the present tense, but it’s used for understanding or knowledge, not about knowing people. In the preterite, it basically means “found out.”

• Supimos de su muerte después de regresar del viaje. = We found out about his death after the trip.

Temporal phrases often used with the preterite

As we mentioned, the preterite is frequently used with certain temporal phrases that refer to time. They clue us into the fact that the verb refers to a completed action in the past. These are also called “trigger words” because they trigger the use of the preterite. Here are some of the most frequently used phrases.

The preterite vs. the imperfect

You’ll want to know how to use the imperfect tense in Spanish compared to the preterite explained above. The imperfect tense is mostly used to talk about an ongoing or habitual action in the past with no clear ending or beginning.

• Él tenía una relación maravillosa con ella. = He had a marvelous relationship with her.
• Yo iba al mercado todos los días. = I went to the market every day.

It’s possible to translate it to English as the past tense (went), but it could also be translated as “would go” or “used to go.”

We also use the imperfect to talk about a continual action in the past that is interrupted by another action, which goes in the preterite tense. In this case, we can translate it as “be” plus -ING:

• Ellos preparaban la cena cuando sonó el teléfono. = They were preparing dinner when the phone rang.

Presente perfecto tense to indicate the past in Peninsular Spanish

We’ll mention that Spaniards tend to use the presente perfecto (present perfect) tense to talk about the immediate past. Whereas a Latin American or HIspanic might say: Fui al mercado (I went to the market), a Spaniard is likely to say: He ido al mercado.

Key takeaways of the preterite tense in Spanish

The preterite tense in Spanish is one of the ways Spanish speakers talk about the past. If you’re wondering how to learn Spanish, this tense is one of the earliest tenses you’ll learn after mastering the present tense. You can follow these key concepts when deciding when to use the preterite and combine them with your new knowledge of how to conjugate preterite verbs.

• The preterite is used for an action in the past with a defined beginning and end.
• The action must have been completed previous to the moment of speaking or writing.
• This verb tense is often used with specific temporal phrases related to time.
• Occasionally, the preterite is used in conjunction with the imperfect to show that an action interrupts another.