Lesson 26: Past Tense – Regular Verbs
Preterito regular
Say it, then make it yours: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Follow with your own answer: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Today's Goal
Learn to talk about completed actions in the past using regular verbs in the preterite tense.
Say it, then make it yours: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Follow with your own answer: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
What Is the Preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) describes actions that were completed in the past.
- ●A single event: Ayer llegué a casa. (I arrived home yesterday.)
- ●A series of completed actions: Llegué, comí y me dormí.
Time Markers: When Did It Happen?
1
ayer
(ah-yer)
2
anoche
(ah-noh-che)
3
la semana pasada
(lah seh-mah-nah pah-sah-dah)
4
el mes pasado
(el mes pah-sah-doh)
5
hace dos días
(ah-seh dohs dee-ahs)
6
el año pasado
(el ah-nyoh pah-sah-doh)
Conjugating -AR Verbs
Drop -ar, add endings:
| Subject | Ending | hablar → habl___ |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablé |
| tú | -aste | hablaste |
| él/ella/usted | -ó | habló |
| nosotros | -amos | hablamos |
| ellos/ellas | -aron | hablaron |
Say it, then make it yours: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Follow with your own answer: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Practice: -AR Verbs
Complete the sentences:
- Yo ___ (hablar) con Juan ayer.
- Tú ___ (bailar) en la fiesta.
- Ella ___ (tocar) el piano.
- Nosotros ___ (estudiar) mucho.
- Ellos ___ (caminar) al parque.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Conjugating -ER and -IR Verbs
They share the same endings in preterite!
| Subject | Ending | comer → com___ | vivir → viv___ |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -í | comí | viví |
| tú | -iste | comiste | viviste |
| él/ella/usted | -ió | comió | vivió |
| nosotros | -imos | comimos | vivimos |
| ellos/ellas | -ieron | comieron | vivieron |
Common Mistake Alert!
English speakers often forget accents in the yo form.
✗ Yo comié → ✓ Yo comí
✗ Yo estudié → ✓ Yo estudié
✗ Yo estudié → ✓ Yo estudié
Misreading present as past (no accent).
✗ Él hablo ayer → ✓ Él habló ayer
Why Accents Matter
The accent mark shows tense and pronunciation.
Compare:
hablo
I speak (present)
(HA-blo)
hablé
I spoke (past)
(ha-BLÉ)
Say it, then make it yours: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Follow with your own answer: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Practice: -ER Verbs
Fill in the blanks:
- Yo ___ (comer) una manzana.
- Tú no ___ (beber) agua.
- Él ___ (aprender) español.
- Nosotros ___ (leer) un libro.
- Ellas ___ (correr) en el parque.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Practice: -IR Verbs
Fill in the blanks:
- Yo ___ (vivir) en Lima.
- Tú ___ (escribir) una carta.
- Ella ___ (abrir) la puerta.
- Nosotros no ___ (sufrir) mucho.
- Ellos ___ (decidir) viajar.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Spot the Error
Correct the mistakes:
- Yo comi anoche pasta.
- Ella vivio en Chile.
- Nosotros hablamos ayer en clase. (context: they spoke yesterday)
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Sentence Building
Create full sentences using the prompts:
yo / comer / pizza / anoche
→ Yo comí pizza anoche.
tú / hablar / profesor / ayer
→ ?
ellos / vivir / Madrid / el año pasado
→ ?
Pronunciation Focus
Pay attention to endings:
- ●-é: clear short e, stressed — 'hablé'
- ●-ó: open o, stressed — 'habló'
- ●-í: long ee, stressed — 'comí', 'viví'
- ●-ieron: "ee-eh-rohn" — 'comieron'
Real-Life Practice
Ask and answer with a partner:
- •¿Qué comiste anoche?
- •¿Dónde viviste cuando eras niño/a?
- •¿Estudiaste español la semana pasada?
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Summary: Key Endings
| Type | yo | tú | él/ella | nosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -AR | -é | -aste | -ó | -amos | -aron |
| -ER / -IR | -í | -iste | -ió | -imos | -ieron |
Take-away practice: Say this without looking: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. For homework, answer in two Spanish sentences: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Mini Quiz
Write the correct form:
- Yo ___ (limpiar) mi cuarto ayer.
- Ella ___ (cantar) en el concierto.
- Tú ___ (beber) jugo esta mañana.
- Nosotros ___ (escribir) las cartas.
- Ellos ___ (comprender) la lección.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. Now say or write your own answer to: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Homework
Write 6 sentences about what you did last weekend. Use at least two -AR, two -ER, and two -IR verbs.
Example: Anoche comí pasta. Ayer escribí un correo.
Take-away practice: Say this without looking: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. For homework, answer in two Spanish sentences: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Great Work!
You can now talk about completed past events using regular verbs.
Next: Irregular verbs in the preterite
Take-away practice: Say this without looking: Ayer hablé con Ana, comí temprano y viví una aventura. For homework, answer in two Spanish sentences: Completa: Ayer yo ___ (estudiar).
English-speaker check: Accent marks distinguish forms: hablo is present; habló is completed past.
Notes