Master the pretérito indefinido for regular -AR and -IR verbs like "pregunté" (I asked) and "viví" (I lived) to describe completed actions in the past clearly and effectively.
- We use the simple past to talk about completed actions in the past.
- To form the pretérito indefinido of regular verbs ending in "-ar", the endings "-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron" are added.
- For verbs that end in -er and -ir, the endings -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron are added.
| Persona (Person) | Verbo -AR: Preguntar (Verb -AR: To ask) | Verbo -IR: Vivir (Verb -IR: To live) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | Pregunté al reportero algunas noticias (I asked the reporter some news) | Viví en esa casa (I lived in that house) |
| Tú | Preguntaste del programa (You asked about the programme) | Viviste en Madrid (You lived in Madrid) |
| Él/Ella | Preguntó sobre su trabajo (Asked about his work) | Vivió con sus padres (Lived with his parents) |
| Nosotros/as | Preguntamos del pasado (We asked about the past) | Vivimos en Valencia (We lived in Valencia) |
| Vosotros/as | Preguntasteis las noticias actuales (You asked the current news) | Vivisteis cerca del parque (You all lived near the park) |
| Ellos/Ellas | Preguntaron ver un programa (They asked to watch a programme) | Vivieron preocupados (They lived worried) |
Exceptions!
- The accent is important in the first and third person singular because it shows the difference between present and past simple.
Exercise 1: El pretérito indefinido: Los verbos regulares
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
preguntasteis, pregunté, navegamos, reaccionamos, volvió, vieron, volviste, volvimos
1.
Después de cenar, nosotros ... a ver las noticias.
(Después de cenar, nosotros volvimos a ver las noticias.)
2.
¿Tú ... a ver ese programa anoche?
(¿Tú volviste a ver ese programa anoche?)
3.
Los estudiantes ... un programa.
(Los estudiantes vieron un programa.)
4.
Nosotros ... por internet tras el noticiero.
(Nosotros navegamos por internet tras el noticiero.)
5.
Mi padre ... tarde tras ver el programa.
(Mi padre volvió tarde tras ver el programa.)
6.
Yo ... sobre el reportaje en la televisión.
(Yo pregunté sobre el reportaje en la televisión.)
7.
Vosotros ... cuándo verían las noticias actuales.
(Vosotros preguntasteis cuándo verían las noticias actuales.)
8.
Después del reportaje, nosotros ... con sorpresa.
(Después del reportaje, nosotros reaccionamos con sorpresa.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Select the correct sentence using the simple past tense of regular and irregular verbs, according to the context and rules of the past tense.
1.
Error: missing accent mark in the first person singular. 'Pregunte' without an accent is present subjunctive; it must be 'pregunté' with an accent for simple past.
Error: the word is misspelled. The correct form is 'pregunté', with 'nt', not 'preguté'.
2.
Error: 'viviste' is the form for 'tú' (second person singular), but the implicit subject here is first person singular, so it does not agree.
Error: although the conjugation is correct, repeating 'I' with the personally conjugated verb is unnecessary in spoken Spanish and can sound redundant in this context.
3.
Error: the correct form is 'pudiste' with 'd', because it is an irregular verb. 'Podiste' does not exist.
Error: 'pudisteis' is the form for 'vosotros/as', but the question implicitly uses 'tú', second person singular.
4.
Error: this option is a duplicate correct answer and should be changed to avoid confusion. Only one correct option should be present.
Error: 'comemos' is in present tense, which does not match the past time adverb 'last night'. 'Comimos' must be used.