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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the pretérito indefinido, focusing on -AR verbs like 'pregunté' (I asked) and -IR verbs like 'viví' (I lived), to describe completed past actions.
  1. We use the simple past to talk about completed actions in the past.
  2. To form the pretérito indefinido of regular verbs ending in "-ar", the endings "-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron" are added.
  3. For verbs that end in -er and -ir, the endings -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron are added.

 

PersonaVerbo -AR: PreguntarVerbo -IR: Vivir
YoPregunté al reportero algunas noticiasViví en esa casa
TúPreguntaste del programaViviste en Madrid
Él/EllaPreguntó sobre su trabajoVivió con sus padres
Nosotros/asPreguntamos del pasadoVivimos en Valencia
Vosotros/asPreguntasteis las noticias actualesVivisteis cerca del parque
Ellos/EllasPreguntaron ver un programaVivieron preocupados

Exceptions!

  1. 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.

Show translation Show answers

pregunté, navegamos, preguntasteis, volvió, volvimos, vieron, volviste, reaccionamos

1.
Después del reportaje, nosotros ... con sorpresa.
(After the report, we reacted with surprise.)
2.
¿Tú ... a ver ese programa anoche?
(Did you watch that programme again last night?)
3.
Los estudiantes ... un programa.
(The students watched a programme.)
4.
Vosotros ... cuándo verían las noticias actuales.
(You asked when they would see the current news.)
5.
Después de cenar, nosotros ... a ver las noticias.
(After dinner, we watched the news again.)
6.
Nosotros ... por internet tras el noticiero.
(We surfed the internet after the news.)
7.
Yo ... sobre el reportaje en la televisión.
(I asked about the report on television.)
8.
Mi padre ... tarde tras ver el programa.
(My father came back late after watching the programme.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Select the correct sentence using the simple past tense of regular and irregular verbs, according to the context and past tense rules.

1.
Error: missing accent in the first person singular. 'Pregunte' without accent is present subjunctive; it must be 'pregunté' with 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 doesn't agree.
Error: although the conjugation is correct, the repetition of 'yo' along with the already 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' doesn't 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 and should be different to avoid confusion. It must be replaced so only one is correct.
Error: 'comemos' is in present, which doesn't correspond with the past time adverb 'anoche'. It must use 'comimos'.

Understanding the Spanish Simple Past Tense: Regular Verbs in the Pretérito Indefinido

This lesson covers the use and conjugation of regular verbs in the Spanish pretérito indefinido, commonly known as the simple past tense. This tense is essential for talking about actions that happened and were completed in the past.

What You Will Learn

  • How to recognize and form the pretérito indefinido of regular verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir.
  • Correct conjugation endings for each subject pronoun.
  • The importance of accent marks to distinguish between present and past tense forms.
  • Key example verbs to practice: preguntar (to ask) and vivir (to live).

Conjugation Patterns for Regular Verbs

The pretérito indefinido endings for regular verbs differ depending on their infinitive endings:

  • -ar verbs: add -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron to the stem. Example: preguntar → pregunté, preguntaste, preguntó, preguntamos, preguntasteis, preguntaron.
  • -er and -ir verbs: add -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron to the stem. Example: vivir → viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron.

Important Notes

Accent marks appear in the first person singular (yo) and third person singular (él/ella) forms. These marks are crucial because they distinguish these past tense forms from the present tense, which often looks similar.

Useful Phrases in Pretérito Indefinido

  • Pregunté al reportero algunas noticias. (I asked the reporter some news.)
  • Viví en esa casa. (I lived in that house.)
  • Preguntaste del programa. (You asked about the program.)
  • Vivimos en Valencia. (We lived in Valencia.)

Differences Between English and Spanish Simple Past

In English, the simple past uses mostly one form for all verbs (e.g., "asked," "lived"), whereas Spanish requires specific conjugation endings for each subject pronoun. Moreover, subject pronouns are often omitted in Spanish because the verb conjugation itself indicates the subject.

Spanish also requires accent marks in certain past tense forms to prevent confusion with present tense, which does not occur in English.

Additional Useful Expressions

  • ayer – yesterday
  • anoche – last night
  • el año pasado – last year
  • la semana pasada – last week
  • terminar – to finish
  • completar – to complete

Understanding these conjugations and words will help you effectively talk about past events in Spanish with confidence.

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