Ayer estudié español.
English: Yesterday I studied Spanish.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Tiempos pasados y futuros
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The 'pretérito indefinido' is a Spanish past tense used to describe completed actions in the past. Here, you will learn how to use it with regular verbs.
When to use it
Use the 'pretérito indefinido' to talk about actions that happened and finished at a specific time in the past. For example, things you did yesterday, last week, or in a particular year.
Key forms
- For -ar verbs: hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron
- For -er verbs: comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron
- For -ir verbs: viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron
Examples
Comimos pizza el viernes.
English: We ate pizza on Friday.
María vivió en Madrid en 2019.
English: María lived in Madrid in 2019.
Hablaste con tu amigo.
English: You talked with your friend.
Tips
- Remember the different endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
- Do not use this tense for actions that are still continuing or repeated habits.
- Pay attention to accent marks (é, í, ó) in the endings.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs are irregular in the 'pretérito indefinido' and do not follow these regular endings. For example: 'tener' → 'tuve', 'ir' → 'fui'.