In this module, we’ll focus on understanding and using the past tenses in Spanish. We’ll start with the simple past (pretérito) and then move on to more complex tenses like the imperfect. You’ll also learn how to use these tenses to narrate past events, describe habitual actions, and express emotions tied to the past.
The preterite tense is used to talk about actions that were completed at a specific point in the past.
Regular verbs are conjugated by removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding the preterite endings.
-AR Verbs:
Yo hablé – I spoke
Tú hablaste – You spoke
Él/Ella habló – He/She spoke
Nosotros/Nosotras hablamos – We spoke
Ellos/Ellas hablaron – They spoke
-ER Verbs:
Yo comí – I ate
Tú comiste – You ate
Él/Ella comió – He/She ate
Nosotros/Nosotras comimos – We ate
Ellos/Ellas comieron – They ate
-IR Verbs:
Yo viví – I lived
Tú viviste – You lived
Él/Ella vivió – He/She lived
Nosotros/Nosotras vivimos – We lived
Ellos/Ellas vivieron – They lived
Example Sentences:
Ayer yo hablé con mi profesor. – Yesterday I spoke with my teacher.
Tú hablaste con ella después de la reunión. – You spoke with her after the meeting.
Él habló con su jefe por teléfono. – He spoke with his boss on the phone.
Nosotros hablamos con los vecinos anoche. – We spoke with the neighbors last night.
Ellos hablaron con el director de la escuela. – They spoke with the school principal.
Yo comí pizza para la cena. – I ate pizza for dinner.
Tú comiste en ese restaurante ayer. – You ate at that restaurant yesterday.
Ella comió una ensalada para el almuerzo. – She ate a salad for lunch.
Nosotros comimos juntos en casa. – We ate together at home.
Ellos comieron después de la reunión. – They ate after the meeting.
Yo viví en España por dos años. – I lived in Spain for two years.
Tú viviste cerca del mar. – You lived near the sea.
Él vivió en una ciudad pequeña. – He lived in a small city.
Nosotros vivimos en ese barrio antes. – We lived in that neighborhood before.
Ellos vivieron en la misma casa por muchos años. – They lived in the same house for many years.
Key Irregular Verbs in the Preterite Tense:
Some verbs in the preterite tense have irregular stems or unique conjugations.
Ser / Ir (to be / to go):
Yo fui – I went / I was
Tú fuiste – You went / You were
Él/Ella fue – He/She went / He/She was
Nosotros fuimos – We went / We were
Ellos/Ellas fueron – They went / They were
-ER and -IR verbs:
Hacer (to do, to make):
Yo hice – I did / I made
Tú hiciste – You did / You made
Él/Ella hizo – He/She did / He/She made
Nosotros hicimos – We did / We made
Ellos/Ellas hicieron – They did / They made
Tener (to have):
Yo tuve – I had
Tú tuviste – You had
Él/Ella tuvo – He/She had
Nosotros tuvimos – We had
Ellos/Ellas tuvieron – They had
Example Sentences:
Yo fui al mercado ayer. – I went to the market yesterday.
Tú fuiste muy amable conmigo. – You were very kind to me.
Él fue al médico por la mañana. – He went to the doctor in the morning.
Nosotros fuimos a la playa el fin de semana pasado. – We went to the beach last weekend.
Ellos fueron los ganadores del torneo. – They were the winners of the tournament.
Yo hice mi tarea después de la cena. – I did my homework after dinner.
Tú hiciste un buen trabajo en el proyecto. – You did a good job on the project.
Ella hizo una torta para la fiesta. – She made a cake for the party.
Nosotros hicimos ejercicio en el gimnasio. – We exercised at the gym.
Ellos hicieron muchos cambios en la empresa. – They made many changes in the company.
Yo tuve una reunión importante ayer. – I had an important meeting yesterday.
Tú tuviste una buena idea. – You had a good idea.
Él tuvo un problema con su coche. – He had a problem with his car.
Nosotros tuvimos mucho trabajo esta semana. – We had a lot of work this week.
Ellos tuvieron una gran oportunidad. – They had a great opportunity.
What is the Imperfect Tense?
The imperfect tense is used to describe actions that were happening in the past or actions that were habitual or repeated.
Like the preterite tense, regular verbs in the imperfect tense follow specific endings:
-AR Verbs:
Yo hablaba – I was talking
Tú hablabas – You were talking
Él/Ella hablaba – He/She was talking
Nosotros hablábamos – We were talking
Ellos/Ellas hablaban – They were talking
-ER/IR Verbs:
Yo comía – I was eating
Tú comías – You were eating
Él/Ella comía – He/She was eating
Nosotros comíamos – We were eating
Ellos/Ellas comían – They were eating
When to Use the Preterite and Imperfect Together:
Example:
Cuando era niño, jugaba todos los días. – When I was a child, I played every day.
Nosotros vivíamos en la ciudad. – We used to live in the city.
Yo caminaba por el parque cuando empezó a llover. – I was walking through the park when it started to rain.
Ella estudiaba en la biblioteca cuando sonó su teléfono. – She was studying in the library when her phone rang.
Nosotros cenábamos cuando llegaron los invitados. – We were having dinner when the guests arrived.
Ellos jugaban al fútbol cuando comenzó la tormenta. – They were playing soccer when the storm began.
Narrating Past Events:
Use the preterite for specific events that happened once, and the imperfect to set the scene or describe ongoing actions in the background.
Example Sentences:
Ayer, me levanté temprano y fui al mercado. – Yesterday, I woke up early and went to the market.
Estaba lloviendo cuando salí de casa. – It was raining when I left the house.
Using Time Expressions in the Past:
Learn time expressions that signal when to use the preterite and imperfect:
Ayer (yesterday) – Preterite
Todos los días (every day) – Imperfect
Cuando era niño/a (when I was a child) – Imperfect
Cuando estaba joven (when I was young) – Imperfect
Una vez (one time) – Preterite
Reflexive Verbs in the Preterite:
Reflexive verbs in the preterite follow the same structure as regular preterite verbs but with the reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos).
Example Sentences:
Me desperté a las seis. – I woke up at six.
Ella se preparó para la fiesta. – She got ready for the party.
Reflexive Verbs in the Imperfect:
Me duchaba todos los días. – I used to shower every day.
Nos levantábamos temprano. – We used to wake up early.
By the end of this module, you’ll be able to express actions and events in the past using both the preterite and imperfect tenses. You’ll also learn how to combine these tenses to narrate stories and express past habits, as well as talk about events in greater detail.