Spanish Preterite: regular -ar, -er and -ir endings
Short answer
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) reports finished actions. Regular -ar verbs take -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron; -er and -ir verbs share -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Level A2 · verbs, past, indefinido
The rule in full
The simple past — a finished action at a finished time.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| él/ella/usted | habló | comió | vivió |
| nosotros | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| vosotros | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| ellos/ustedes | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
-er and -ir share endings completely.
Time markers: ayer, anoche, el lunes pasado, en 2019, hace dos años, de repente.
- Ayer comí con mi hermana.
Note the accents: hablo (I speak) vs habló (he spoke).
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