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The preterite: regular verbs

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The preterite tense describes completed actions in the past: what you did on holiday.

Endings

Take off -ar, -er or -ir and add these.

Accents matter

The accent changes the meaning.
hablo = I speak (present). habló = he / she spoke (preterite).
The yo form has an accent too: hablé = I spoke.

Time phrases

ayer (yesterday), el verano pasado (last summer), el año pasado (last year), la semana pasada (last week).
Worked example

Translate: Last summer I visited Seville.

  1. Last summer = el verano pasado
  2. I visited: visit- + é = visité
  3. Sevilla

Answer: El verano pasado visité Sevilla.

Key idea

Preterite -ar: é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron. -er and -ir: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Accents matter: hablo is present, habló is past.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

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