The simple past in Spanish, known as pretérito indefinido, is used to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific point in the past. These actions have a clear beginning and end, making it different from other past tenses like the pretérito imperfecto, which describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
When to Use the Simple Past
The pretérito indefinido is primarily used to:
- Talk about actions that are finished and have no connection to the present.
- Describe events that occurred at a specific time in the past.
- Narrate sequences of completed actions.
For example:
- Ayer fui al cine. (Yesterday, I went to the cinema.)
- Ella estudió toda la noche. (She studied all night.)
- El año pasado viajamos a México. (Last year, we traveled to Mexico.)
Regular Verb Conjugation
In the pretérito indefinido, regular verbs are conjugated based on their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. The endings for each type of verb change in the simple past.
Conjugation of -ar Verbs (e.g., hablar)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hablé |
| Tú | hablaste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | habló |
| Nosotros/as | hablamos |
| Vosotros/as | hablasteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablaron |
Example:
- Ayer hablé con mi amigo. (Yesterday, I spoke with my friend.)
Conjugation of -er Verbs (e.g., comer)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | comí |
| Tú | comiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | comió |
| Nosotros/as | comimos |
| Vosotros/as | comisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | comieron |
Example:
- Anoche comimos pizza. (Last night, we ate pizza.)
Conjugation of -ir Verbs (e.g., vivir)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | viví |
| Tú | viviste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vivió |
| Nosotros/as | vivimos |
| Vosotros/as | vivisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vivieron |
Example:
- Hace dos años viví en Madrid. (Two years ago, I lived in Madrid.)
Irregular Verbs in the Simple Past
Many verbs in Spanish are irregular in the pretérito indefinido and don’t follow the regular conjugation patterns. Here are some common examples:
Conjugation of ser and ir (they share the same conjugation)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | fui |
| Tú | fuiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | fue |
| Nosotros/as | fuimos |
| Vosotros/as | fuisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | fueron |
Examples:
- Ayer fui al parque. (Yesterday, I went to the park.)
- El concierto fue increíble. (The concert was amazing.)
Conjugation of tener (to have)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | tuve |
| Tú | tuviste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | tuvo |
| Nosotros/as | tuvimos |
| Vosotros/as | tuvisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | tuvieron |
Example:
- Tuve un día ocupado. (I had a busy day.)
Conjugation of hacer (to do/make)
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hice |
| Tú | hiciste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hizo |
| Nosotros/as | hicimos |
| Vosotros/as | hicisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hicieron |
Example:
- Hice mis deberes ayer. (I did my homework yesterday.)
Other Common Irregular Verbs
| Verb | Yo | Tú | Él/Ella/Usted | Nosotros/as | Vosotros/as | Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decir (to say) | dije | dijiste | dijo | dijimos | dijisteis | dijeron |
| Poner (to put) | puse | pusiste | puso | pusimos | pusisteis | pusieron |
| Venir (to come) | vine | viniste | vino | vinimos | vinisteis | vinieron |
Time Expressions with the Simple Past
When using the pretérito indefinido, certain time expressions often accompany it to indicate when the action took place. Some of these expressions include:
- Ayer (yesterday)
- Ayer hablé con mi jefe. (Yesterday, I spoke with my boss.)
- La semana pasada (last week)
- La semana pasada fuimos a la playa. (Last week, we went to the beach.)
- El año pasado (last year)
- El año pasado viajé a Japón. (Last year, I traveled to Japan.)
- Hace + [time period] (e.g., hace dos días, two days ago)
- Hace dos días vi a mi amigo. (I saw my friend two days ago.)
Differences Between Pretérito Indefinido and Pretérito Imperfecto
The pretérito indefinido focuses on actions that are completed, while the pretérito imperfecto is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or without a definite end.
- Pretérito Indefinido: Completed actions.
- Ayer comí en ese restaurante. (Yesterday, I ate at that restaurant.)
- Pretérito Imperfecto: Ongoing or habitual actions.
- Cuando era niño, comía allí todos los domingos. (When I was a child, I used to eat there every Sunday.)
The pretérito indefinido is an essential part of Spanish grammar for narrating past events with clear start and end points. Mastering its conjugation patterns, including both regular and irregular verbs, will greatly improve your ability to communicate about past actions in Spanish. By understanding the usage of this tense along with its time expressions, you’ll be able to tell stories and describe events that are over and done with clarity and precision.
Key takeaway: The pretérito indefinido is your go-to tense for talking about completed actions in the past.
Let´s practice
- Write the correct form of the verb in the preterite tense
2. Select the correct form of the verb
3. Match verbs with their correct conjugation
4. Transforming the present into the past
5. Incomplete stories, you must complete the gaps with the correct form of the verb in the preterite tense.
6. Several sentences that describe a sequence of events in disorder. You must arrange the sentences in the correct order.
7. You will read a sentence and you will have to determine if the conjugation in the preterite tense is correct or incorrect.
