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Understanding the Preterit Tense in Spanish: Key Concepts and Usage

This guide explores the use of the preterit tense in Spanish to describe completed actions that occurred at specific times in the past. It highlights the distinction between –AR and –ER verbs, noting that verbs with stem changes in the present do not change in the preterit. The guide provides examples of expressing past actions with time indicators like "yesterday," "last week," and phrases for interrupted actions. Furthermore, it examines sequences of events and clarifies rules for verbs ending in -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR, providing useful conjugation patterns.

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Understanding the Preterit Tense in Spanish: Key Concepts and Usage

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  1. You use the preterit to talk about things that happened in the past (for us in English this is the –ed, for example: walked, talked, etc). • -AR and –ER verbs that have a stem-change in the present DO NOT have a stem change in the preterit.

  2. C ompletedPastAction(“CPA” = solo ocurrió una vez) *To express simple or isolated actions or events that occurred during or at a specific time in the past. *Ejemplo: Compré un libroayer.

  3. Limitedamount of time (completedaction) anoche = lastnight ayer = yesterday anteayer = thedaybeforeyesterday por la mañana = in themorning por la tarde = in theafternoon por la noche = at night hace ___ día/semana/mes/año/hora/minuto/etc… = (time) ago la semana pasada/el mes pesado/el año pasado = lastweek, lastmonth, lastyear esta mañana = thismorning por (+ amount of time) = for (time) *Ejemplo: Escribimos el reporte cuarto veces. ***To express a quality or state of being of the subject that was completed within a definite period of time. Ejemplo: Pepe se sintió enfermo anoche.

  4. I nterruptingAction(existe con “ongoingaction”  un verbo del imperfecto) cuando = when de repente= suddenly Ejemplos: -Mimadrehablaba con mi padre cuandoyolleguéa casa. -Yocorría en el parquecuandode repente(suddenly) empezó a llover.

  5. C hange in Mental State darse cuenta de = torealize decidir = to decide cambiar de opinión = to change one’s mind

  6. Series of completed actions. Estamañanayo me levanté y me cepillé los dientes. Entonces, me duché y me vestí. Después, yocomí cereal para el desayuno. Por fin, salí de mi casa. Sequenceof Events después = after en seguida = rightaway luego = later próximo = next de repente = suddenly

  7. Beginning or end of an action • AnochePepeempezósuproyectoy lo terminóestamañana.

  8. -AR verbs

  9. hablé hablaste habló hablamos hablasteis hablaron HABLAR – TO TALK/TALKED

  10. -ER & -IR verbs

  11. comí comiste comió comimos comisteis comieron COMER – TO EAT/ATE

  12. escribí escribiste escribió escribimos escribisteis escribieron ESCRIBIR – TO WRITE/ WROTE

  13. Verbs that end in –CAR/-GAR/-ZAR -CAR  -qué -GAR  -gué -ZAR  -cé Only The YO FORM!

  14. almorzar comenzar cruzar empezar Yo almorcé Yo comencé Yo crucé Yo empecé -Zar Verbs(z changesto c)

  15. **almorcé almorzaste almorzó almorzamos almorzasteis almorzaron Almorzar = toeat lunch*notice no stemchange! 

  16. buscar chocar practicar sacar Yo busqué Yo choqué Yo practiqué Yo saqué -Car Verbs (c changestoqu)

  17. **busqué buscaste buscó buscamos buscasteis buscaron Buscar= to look for

  18. investigar navegar jugar llegar Yo investigué Yo navegué Yo jugué Yo llegué -Gar Verbs (g changestogu)

  19. **jugué jugaste jugó jugamos jugasteis jugaron Jugar = toplay (sports)*notice no stemchange! 

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