Simple Past Tense
Pretérito Indefinido: The Spanish Simple Past Tense
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the usage of the Pretrito Indefinido as the simple past tense in Spanish for describing completed actions at specific moments in the past, identify the situations where this tense is appropriate such as actions with clear time references, sequential actions, and interrupting actions, practice the conjugation patterns of regular verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir as well as recognize and memorize irregular verbs in the Pretrito Indefinido, and be able to use key time expressions like Ayer, La semana pasada, Hace, and En 2010 to indicate past events accurately in conversations.
Introduction
The Pretérito Indefinido, also known as the simple past tense, is one of the most commonly used past tenses in Spanish. It is primarily used to talk about completed actions that happened at a specific moment in the past. Understanding how to use this tense correctly is crucial when telling stories, describing past events, or giving historical facts.
Usage
The Pretérito Indefinido is used in the following situations:
1. Completed actions in the past with a clear time reference.
| Spanish | English | Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayer fui al cine. | Yesterday I went to the movies. |
2. Sequential actions in the past (narration of events).
| Spanish | English | Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Me desperté, desayuné y salí de casa. | I woke up, had breakfast and left the house. |
3. Actions that happened once or a specific number of times.
| Spanish | English | Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vi esa película dos veces. | I saw that movie twice. |
4. Interrupting actions when another action was ongoing
| Spanish | English | Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estaba estudiando cuando sonó el teléfono. | I was studying when the phone rang. |
Conjugation
In the Pretérito Indefinido, regular verbs follow specific conjugation patterns based on their endings: -ar, -er, -ir.
-AR Verbs (e.g., hablar - to speak)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hablé |
| Tú | hablaste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | habló |
| Nosotros/as | hablamos |
| Vosotros/as | hablasteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablaron |
-ER Verbs (e.g., comer - to eat)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | comí |
| Tú | comiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | comió |
| Nosotros/as | comimos |
| Vosotros/as | comisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | comieron |
-IR Verbs (e.g., vivir - to live)
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | viví |
| Tú | viviste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vivió |
| Nosotros/as | vivimos |
| Vosotros/as | vivisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vivieron |
Irregular Verbs
Many Spanish verbs are irregular in the Pretérito Indefinido. These verbs do not follow the regular conjugation patterns and must be memorized.
| Infinitive | Stem Change | Example Conjugation (Yo form) |
|---|---|---|
| Ser / Ir | fu- | Fui |
| Tener | tuv- | Tuve |
| Estar | estuv- | Estuve |
| Hacer | hic- | Hice |
| Poder | pud- | Pude |
| Poner | pus- | Puse |
| Querer | quis- | Quise |
| Venir | vin- | Vine |
| Saber | sup- | Supe |
| Decir | dij- | Dije |
Note
The verbs ser and ir share the same conjugation in the Pretérito Indefinido, but their meanings are distinguished by context.
| Spanish | English | Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayer fui al supermercado. | Yesterday I went to the supermarket. | ir | |
| El examen fue difícil. | The test was difficult. | ser |
Time Expressions
Certain time expressions commonly indicate the use of Pretérito Indefinido:
-
Ayer (Yesterday) → Ayer visité a mi abuela. (Yesterday, I visited my grandmother.)
-
La semana pasada (Last week) → La semana pasada viajé a Barcelona. (Last week, I traveled to Barcelona.)
-
El año pasado (Last year) → El año pasado aprendí español. (Last year, I learned Spanish.)
-
Hace + time expression (Ago) → Hace tres días vi a Juan. (Three days ago, I saw Juan.)
-
En 2010 (In 2010) → En 2010 me mudé a España. (In 2010, I moved to Spain.)
Conclusion
The Pretérito Indefinido is an essential Spanish past tense used for completed actions at a specific time. Mastering its conjugations and knowing the key time expressions will help you communicate past events effectively. While regular verbs follow predictable patterns, many commonly used verbs are irregular and require memorization.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Used for completed past actions with a clear timeframe.
✅ Regular verbs follow -ar, -er, -ir endings.
✅ Many irregular verbs exist, such as tener → tuve, hacer → hice.
✅ Common time expressions include ayer, la semana pasada, hace + time.