What is an example of a preterite tense in Spanish?
James Stevens
Updated on April 26, 2026
For instance, “I ran a 5k race” in Spanish is Corrí una carrera de 5k. That’s simple past tense, the preterite form. But Corría una carrera de 5k also means… “I ran a 5k race” or, “I used to/was running a 5k race.” That’s the imperfect past tense.
What are all the regular preterite verbs?
There are only two sets of endings for regular preterite verbs, one for -ar verbs and one for both -er and -ir verbs….Regular Preterite Verb Endings.
| Subject | -ar Verbs | -er and -ir Verbs |
|---|---|---|
| él, ella, usted | -ó | -ió |
| nosotros | -amos | -imos |
| vosotros | -asteis | -isteis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -aron | -ieron |
What are the most common verbs in Spanish?
The top 12 most common Spanish verbs you’ll want to learn are:
- Hacer = To do or make.
- Ir = To go.
- Venir = To come.
- Decir = To say or tell.
- Poder = To be able.
- Dar = To give.
- Ver = To see.
- Poder = To know.
When to use the preterite Spanish?
Spanish Preterite Tense. The preterite is used when referring to actions that were completed in the past. When you use the preterite, it also implies that the action had a definite beginning and a definite end.
How to conjugate Spanish verbs?
Bailar (-AR):
What are the different tenses in Spanish?
Spanish verbs are conjugated in four modes: indicative (indicativo), subjunctive (subjuntivo), conditional (condicional) and imperative (imperativo). All these modes have one or more tenses and compound tenses.
How to conjugate preterite?
– The preterite is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish and is used for verbs indicating an end to their action. – The preterite conjugation is identical for -er and -ir verbs. – Irregular preterite conjugations can be substantially different than the regular forms.
