Introduction Spanish I: Grammar Describing Actions that Were Completed in the Past Introduction The Present and Past Preterite of -AR Verbs Practice Preterite

Introduction

Spanish I: GrammarDescribing Actions that Were Completed in the Past

Introduction

The Present and Past

Preterite of-AR Verbs

Practice

Preterite of-ER/IR Verbs

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Clue Words

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Welcome to the Spanish I tutorial for the preterite of regular verbs!

Take this opportunity to review previous knowledge of regular verbs and enhance your knowledge of the preterite tense. Pay close attention to the information given and any examples provided; at the end of the the tutorial, you will be required to complete an assessment.

“What knowledge do I need to get started?”

For you to benefit from this tutorial, you must have completed at least one or two semesters of Spanish I and have a solid knowledge of the present tense, as well as meanings and definitions of some of the most common verbs in Spanish. Having an introductory knowledge of the preterite tense would also be helpful.

“What if I don’t do well on the assessment the first time?”

Try again and take some extra time to review the material and information provided; you may complete this tutorial as many times as needed.

“I’m ready to get started.”

Great! Click the arrow icon (“Continue”) toward the bottom-right of the screen.

Spanish I Grammar: Preterite of Regular Verbs, by Fair Wicker

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What is a verb conjugation?

A verb conjugation is the form of a verb that agrees with the subject (i.e. “I am,” not “I is”) .

What do verbs look like in Spanish?

In Spanish, verbs will end in in –ar, -er, or -ir. To change the tense (and conjugation), we must drop the –ar, -er, or –ir ending and replace it with a different ending. The present tense and preterite (past tense) endings (for regular verbs) are shown below. (Notice the differences between the two and the use of any accents.)

Present tense endings (review):

-ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an-er verbs: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en-ir verbs: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en

Preterite tense endings:

-ar verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron-er verbs: -í, -íste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron-ir verbs: -í, -íste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron

The Present and Past Tense of Regular Verbs


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Note: -er and –ir verbs use the same endings in the preterite.

The Preterite of Regular –AR Verbs


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Remember that verbs in Spanish are conjugated by dropping the ending (in this case, “-ar”) and replacing it with another. Unlike in English, Spanish verbs can be used without the subject pronoun, so it is especially important to include the correct ending. In other words, both “él habló” and “habló” mean “he spoke”; in general, the endings also change the subject.

“I thought ‘hablo’ meant ‘I speak.’”

It does! Look at the above chart carefully and observe which endings carry an accent. “Hablo” and “habló,” while they both come from “hablar,” are two different tenses and for two different subjects.

RegularVerb

yo tú él, ella, usted

nosotros

vosotros

ellos/as, ustedes

hablar hablé hablaste habló hablamos

hablasteis

hablaron

comer comí comiste comió comimos comisteis

comieron

abrir abrí abriste abrió abrimos abristeis abrieron

The Preterite of Regular –AR Verbs: Chart


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Practice: Give the correct preterite conjugation of the –ar verbs. Click to reveal answers.

they passed (ellos/pasar)

she painted (ella/pintar)

we walked (nosotros/caminar)

you waited (tú/ esperar)

I bought (yo/comprar)


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RegularVerb


nosotros

vosotros

ellos/as, ustedes


hablasteis

hablaron


comieron


ellos pasaron

ella pintó

nosotros caminamos

tú esperaste

yo compré

The Preterite of Regular –ER/IR Verbs


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RegularVerb


nosotros

vosotros

ellos/as, ustedes


hablasteis

hablaron


comieron

abrir abrí abriste abrió abrimos abristeis abrieronRemember that verbs in Spanish are conjugated by dropping the ending (in this case, “-er” and “-ir”) and replacing it with another. Unlike in English, Spanish verbs can be used without the subject pronoun, so it is especially important to include the correct ending. In other words, both “él comió” and “comió” means “he ate”; in general, the endings also change the subject.

“I thought ‘abrimos’ was the present tense conjugation for ‘we open.’”

“Abrimos” means both “we open” and “we opened.” This may be confusing, but consider this:

In spoken English, when someone uses “they’re, their,” or “there,” you understand which is which based on the context alone. The use of “-imos” (and “-amos”) for both the present and past tense for “nosotros” is similar; the difference is based on the c ontext in which it is used.

Give the correct preterite conjugation of these –er/–ir verbs. Click to reveal answers.

they ran (ellos/correr)

she received (ella/recibir)

we sold (nosotros/vender)

you lived (tú/ vivir)

I decided (yo/decidir)

The Preterite of Regular –ER/IR Verbs: Chart


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RegularVerb


nosotros

vosotros

ellos/as, ustedes


hablasteis

hablaron


comieron


ellos corrieron

ella recibió

nosotros vendimos

tú viviste

yo decidí

Terms Commonly Used with the Preterite (Clue Words)


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In which circumstances should the preterite be used?

The preterite is used to communicate completed actions in the past. Ongoing actions in the past (things that used to occur) are communicated with a different verb form (which will not be addressed in this particular tutorial). There are also several terms in Spanish that imply an action occurred and was completed in the past.

Take a moment to review the following vocabulary list and examples provided.

ayer (yesterday), anteayer (the day before yesterday), el mes pasado (last month), el año pasado (last year), la semana pasada (last week)

Any month or day of the week followed by “pasado” or “pasada” should also be used with the preterite.

Examples:

Ayer, yo compré un disco compacto. – Yesterday, I bought a CD.El mes pasado, mi familia y yo viajamos a España. – Last month, my family and I traveled to Spain.Ellos asistieron a escuela el lunes pasado. – They attended school last Monday.


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Assessment: Instructions


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Before you begin:

The purpose of the following assessment is to identify your general understanding of the previous content. Although the navigational links will be unavailable once you continue, you are welcome to attempt the assessment or review the tutorial as many times as needed. You may select items (to the left) to review before continuing.

This assessment is not intended to be comprehensive or used in isolation as a review. Although correct answers may be an indicator of your successful completion of this tutorial, it is important that you continue to review and practice this content on a regular basis and through a variety of means.

Example question:


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What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “I spoke”?

A) habloB) hablaC) hablé (correct)D) hablí

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Instructions: Select (click) the correct answer.

Assessment: Multiple Choice


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1. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “I ran”?

A) corré

C) corrí

B) corro

D) corre

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2. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “they swam”?

A) nadan

C) nadieron

B) naden

D) nadaron

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3. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “she found”?

A) encontró

C) encontre

B) encuentra

D) encontro

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4. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “they opened”?

A) abraron

C) abren

B) abran

D) abrieron

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5. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “I painted”?

A) pinto

C) pinte

B) pinté

D) pintó

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6. What is the correct past tense (preterite) conjugation for “You (familiar) wrote”?

A) escribes

C) escribis

B) escribiste

D) escribisteis

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7. Which of the following is the correct translation for “I visited my grandparents the day before yesterday”?

A) Visité a mis abuelos ayer pasado.

C) Visité a mis abuelos anteayer.

B) Visité a mis abuelos ayer.

D) Visité a mis abuelos el día pasado.

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8. Which of the following is the correct translation for “They did not understand the lesson last week.”?

A) No comprendieron la lección la semana pasada.

C) No comprendieron la lección el mes pasado.

B) No comprendieron la lección el semana pasado.

D) No comprendieron la lección el mes de ayer.

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9. What is the difference between “hablo” and “habló”?

A) different tenses

C) different pronunciations

B) different subjects

D) all of the above

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10. Which subjects and verbs use the same endings in the present and preterite?

A) (yo) -ar verbs

C) (ellos) –er and –ir verbs

B) (nosotros) –ar and –ir verbs

D) None. The present and preterite endings are different for all conjugations.

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You have reached the end of the assessment and tutorial.

Take some time to pause and reflect on your learning. Ask yourself the following questions:

“Do I understand the uses of the preterite?”“Do I know the preterite endings and common terms used with the preterite?”“Do I understand the importance of correct accent use and the basic differences between the present and preterite?”

Continue to review as needed.Assessment End the

Tutorial

For additional practice go to:http://www.studyspanish.com/practice/pret1.htm

http://www.studyspanish.com/practice/pret1.htm

Documents

Introduction Spanish I: Grammar Describing Actions that Were Completed in the Past Introduction The Present and Past Preterite of -AR Verbs Practice Preterite