Spanish verbs ending in -er and -ir share the same endings in the preterite tense. These verbs allow speakers to describe completed past actions just like -ar verbs, but with a different set of endings. In this module, you will learn how to conjugate -er and -ir verbs in the preterite.
The endings are:
í
iste
ió
imos
ieron
Example:
comer → comí
Sample Sentences
Yo comí en el restaurante. – I ate at the restaurant.
Ella bebió café. – She drank coffee.
Nosotros aprendimos mucho. – We learned a lot.
Él recibió el mensaje. – He received the message.
Ellos escribieron una carta. – They wrote a letter.
To conjugate regular -er verbs, remove -er and add the preterite endings.
Example:
beber → bebí
Sample Sentences
Yo bebí agua. – I drank water.
Ella comprendió la lección. – She understood the lesson.
Nosotros vendimos comida. – We sold food.
Él aprendió español. – He learned Spanish.
Ellos leyeron el libro. – They read the book.
Regular -ir verbs follow the same endings as -er verbs in the preterite.
Example:
vivir → viví
Sample Sentences
Yo viví en Antigua. – I lived in Antigua.
Ella abrió la puerta. – She opened the door.
Nosotros recibimos el mensaje. – We received the message.
Él decidió viajar. – He decided to travel.
Ellos escribieron una carta. – They wrote a letter.
The preterite tense is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific moment in the past.
Sample Sentences
Yo escribí el informe ayer. – I wrote the report yesterday.
Ella aprendió una nueva palabra. – She learned a new word.
Nosotros comimos en el mercado. – We ate at the market.
Él recibió la noticia esta mañana. – He received the news this morning.
Ellos vivieron allí por un año. – They lived there for a year.
Many common verbs use these endings, so learning the pattern helps you talk about many past actions.
Sample Sentences
Yo abrí la ventana. – I opened the window.
Ella escribió una historia. – She wrote a story.
Nosotros decidimos viajar. – We decided to travel.
Él recibió un paquete. – He received a package.
Ellos vivieron en Guatemala. – They lived in Guatemala.
In this module, you learned how to conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite tense. These verbs share the endings í, iste, ió, imos, ieron, which makes them easier to learn and recognize. By applying these endings, you can describe completed past actions such as eating, writing, opening, or receiving something. Understanding these regular patterns helps you confidently talk about past experiences in Spanish.