THE PRETERITE TENSE A simple past tense in Spanish

What is the preterite tense?

The preterite is a simple past tense in Spanish. It is used for: FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS

An action completed in the past Ayer le escribí una carta a mi mamá. Yesterday I wrote a letter to my mom.

An action viewed as a single event in the past Ellos llegaron a las ocho. They arrived at 8:00.

Actions that were repeated a specific number of times Anteayer llamé a mi novio tres veces. The day before yesterday I called my boyfriend three times.

Actions that occurred during a specific period of time Nosotros trabajamos en la librería por dos años. We worked at the library for two years.

Actions that were a part of a chain of events Ella se levantó, se vistió, y salió de la casa. She got up, got dressed, and left the house.

Stating the beginning or end of an action. Empezó a nevar a las cuatro de la tarde. It began to snow at 4:00 p.m.

How is the preterite formed?

For Regular AR Verbs Drop the AR and add the following: Yoé Túaste Ustedó El ó Ellaó Nosotrosamos Nosotrasamos Ustedes aron Ellosaron Ellasaron

For Regular ER or IR Verbs Drop the ER or IR and add the following: Yoí Túiste Ustedió El ió Ellaió Nosotrosimos Nosotrasimos Ustedes ieron Ellosieron Ellasieron

AR and ER verbs that change their stem in the present tense do not change in the preterite. They are conjugated just like other regular preterite verbs.

PRETERITE TENSE ACTIVITY ON A CLEAN SHEET OF PAPER-CREATE A SENTENCE ‘IN ENGLISH’ FOR EACH OF THE FIVE TYPES OF WAYS TO USE THE PRETERITE TENSE. I AM GOING TO GO BACK TO EACH SLIDE AND KEEP IT THERE FOR 1 MINUTE.

PRETERITE TENSE ASSIGNMENT RE-WRITE THE PARAGRAPH ON THE RIGHT—UNDERLINE EACH OF THE VERBS THAT ARE IN THE PRETERITE TENSE. THEN, LABEL EACH VERB WITH THE CORRECT # OF WHICH OF THE FIVE TYPES OF WAYS THE PRETERITE TENSE CAN BE USED. RE-WRITE THE PARAGRAPH ON THE RIGHT—UNDERLINE EACH OF THE VERBS THAT ARE IN THE PRETERITE TENSE. THEN, LABEL EACH VERB WITH THE CORRECT # OF WHICH OF THE FIVE TYPES OF WAYS THE PRETERITE TENSE CAN BE USED. LAST SUMMER, I WENT TO MEXICO WITH MY FAMILY. EVERYONE WAS VERY EXCITED WHE WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT. WHILE MY MOTHER WAS CHECKING THE LUGGAGE AND MY FATHER WAS HANDLING THE TICKETS, MY LITTLE MARY RAN AWAY. MY PARENTS DROPPED EVERYTHING AND TRIED TO CATCH HER, BUT SHE DUCKED BEHIND THE COUNTER. FINALLY, A MANAGER GRABBED HER AND BROUGHT HER BACK TO US. SHE WAS CRYING BECAUSE SHE WAS SAD SHE WAS LEAVING HER DOG HEIDI FOR TWO WEEKS. EVERYONE COMFORTED HER AND, FINALLY, SHE SMILE AND GOT ON THE PLANE. LAST SUMMER, I WENT TO MEXICO WITH MY FAMILY. EVERYONE WAS VERY EXCITED WHE WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT. WHILE MY MOTHER WAS CHECKING THE LUGGAGE AND MY FATHER WAS HANDLING THE TICKETS, MY LITTLE MARY RAN AWAY. MY PARENTS DROPPED EVERYTHING AND TRIED TO CATCH HER, BUT SHE DUCKED BEHIND THE COUNTER. FINALLY, A MANAGER GRABBED HER AND BROUGHT HER BACK TO US. SHE WAS CRYING BECAUSE SHE WAS SAD SHE WAS LEAVING HER DOG HEIDI FOR TWO WEEKS. EVERYONE COMFORTED HER AND, FINALLY, SHE SMILE AND GOT ON THE PLANE.