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Preterite Regular -AR
Preterite Regular -AR Verbs
The pretérito indefinido (often simply called the preterite) is one of the two main past tenses in Spanish. It is used to talk about completed actions in the past — things that happened at a specific time, had a clear beginning and end, or occurred as a single event.
In this first lesson, we will focus on regular -AR verbs in the preterite, which are the most common verb group in Spanish.
When Do We Use the Preterite?
The preterite is used for:
- Completed actions: Ayer compré un libro. (Yesterday I bought a book.)
- Actions with a definite time frame: Estudié español durante tres años. (I studied Spanish for three years.)
- Sequential events: Me desperté, me duché y desayuné. (I woke up, showered, and had breakfast.)
- Interrupting actions: Cuando llamaste, yo estaba durmiendo. (When you called, I was sleeping.)
Key idea: If the action is done and finished, use the preterite.
The -AR Preterite Endings
To conjugate a regular -AR verb in the preterite, remove the -ar infinitive ending and add the following endings:
| Person | Ending | Example: hablar (to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablé |
| tú | -aste | hablaste |
| él / ella / usted | -ó | habló |
| nosotros / nosotras | -amos | hablamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -asteis | hablasteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -aron | hablaron |
Important: Notice the accent marks on the yo form (-é) and the él/ella/usted form (-ó). These accents are essential — they distinguish the preterite from other tenses. Hablo (I speak, present) vs. habló (he/she spoke, preterite).
Common Regular -AR Verbs
Here are some of the most frequently used regular -AR verbs:
| Infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hablar | to speak |
| caminar | to walk |
| trabajar | to work |
| estudiar | to study |
| comprar | to buy |
| cocinar | to cook |
| llamar | to call |
| llegar | to arrive |
| tomar | to take / to drink |
| viajar | to travel |
| bailar | to dance |
| cantar | to sing |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
| limpiar | to clean |
Full Conjugation Tables
Hablar (to speak)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | I spoke |
| tú | hablaste | you spoke |
| él / ella / usted | habló | he/she/you (formal) spoke |
| nosotros/as | hablamos | we spoke |
| vosotros/as | hablasteis | you all spoke |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablaron | they/you all (formal) spoke |
Caminar (to walk)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | caminé | I walked |
| tú | caminaste | you walked |
| él / ella / usted | caminó | he/she walked |
| nosotros/as | caminamos | we walked |
| vosotros/as | caminasteis | you all walked |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | caminaron | they walked |
Trabajar (to work)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | trabajé | I worked |
| tú | trabajaste | you worked |
| él / ella / usted | trabajó | he/she worked |
| nosotros/as | trabajamos | we worked |
| vosotros/as | trabajasteis | you all worked |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | trabajaron | they worked |
Estudiar (to study)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estudié | I studied |
| tú | estudiaste | you studied |
| él / ella / usted | estudió | he/she studied |
| nosotros/as | estudiamos | we studied |
| vosotros/as | estudiasteis | you all studied |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estudiaron | they studied |
Comprar (to buy)
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | compré | I bought |
| tú | compraste | you bought |
| él / ella / usted | compró | he/she bought |
| nosotros/as | compramos | we bought |
| vosotros/as | comprasteis | you all bought |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | compraron | they bought |
A Note About Nosotros
Notice that the nosotros form in the preterite is identical to the present tense for -AR verbs:
- Hablamos = We speak (present) or We spoke (preterite)
- Trabajamos = We work (present) or We worked (preterite)
Context will always make the meaning clear:
- Hablamos español todos los días. (We speak Spanish every day — present)
- Hablamos con el profesor ayer. (We spoke with the teacher yesterday — preterite)
A Note About Accent Marks
The accent marks in the preterite are not optional. They change the meaning of the word:
| Without accent | Meaning | With accent | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablo | I speak (present) | habló | he/she spoke (preterite) |
| llamo | I call (present) | llamó | he/she called (preterite) |
| canto | I sing (present) | cantó | he/she sang (preterite) |
| tomo | I take (present) | tomó | he/she took (preterite) |
Tip: Always write the accents. In conversation, stress patterns make the difference audible: HAH-blo (present) vs. ah-BLOH (preterite).
Time Markers for the Preterite
Certain words and phrases signal that the preterite is needed:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ayer | yesterday |
| anteayer | the day before yesterday |
| anoche | last night |
| la semana pasada | last week |
| el mes pasado | last month |
| el año pasado | last year |
| hace dos días | two days ago |
| en 2020 | in 2020 |
| una vez | once |
| de repente | suddenly |
Practice Sentences
Read through these sentences and identify the preterite -AR conjugation:
- Ayer estudié tres horas. — Yesterday I studied for three hours.
- María compró un vestido nuevo. — María bought a new dress.
- Nosotros viajamos a México el verano pasado. — We travelled to Mexico last summer.
- ¿Tú llamaste al médico? — Did you call the doctor?
- Ellos bailaron toda la noche. — They danced all night.
- Usted trabajó mucho ayer. — You (formal) worked a lot yesterday.
- Caminamos por el parque esta mañana. — We walked through the park this morning.
- Los niños cantaron una canción bonita. — The children sang a beautiful song.
- Mi madre cocinó una cena deliciosa. — My mother cooked a delicious dinner.
- ¿Cuándo llegasteis? — When did you all arrive?
Spelling Changes in Some -AR Verbs
Some -AR verbs have spelling changes in the yo form only to preserve the correct pronunciation. These are not truly irregular — the sound stays the same; only the spelling adjusts:
| Verb | Change | Yo form | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| buscar (to look for) | c → qu | busqué | ce would sound like "se" |
| llegar (to arrive) | g → gu | llegué | ge would sound like "he" |
| empezar (to begin) | z → c | empecé | Spanish avoids ze |
| tocar (to touch/play) | c → qu | toqué | same as buscar |
| pagar (to pay) | g → gu | pagué | same as llegar |
| almorzar (to have lunch) | z → c | almorcé | same as empezar |
Important: These spelling changes only affect the yo form. All other forms are completely regular: llegaste, llegó, llegamos, llegasteis, llegaron.
Summary
- The preterite is used for completed past actions.
- Regular -AR verbs follow a single, predictable set of endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
- Pay close attention to accent marks on the yo and él/ella forms.
- The nosotros form is the same as the present tense — use context to tell them apart.
- Some verbs have minor spelling changes in the yo form to preserve pronunciation.
- Look for time markers (ayer, la semana pasada, etc.) as clues that the preterite is needed.
In the next lesson, we will learn the preterite endings for -ER and -IR verbs.