Pretérito de Indicativo (Preterite Indicative Tense)
The pretérito de indicativo is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past. It is a key tense in Spanish for narrating past events with a clear beginning and end.
Mood:
The indicative mood expresses certainty and reality, and the preterite tense specifically refers to completed actions. This contrasts with the imperfect indicative, which is used for ongoing or habitual past actions.
- Indicative mood = certainty, facts, reality
- Preterite tense = completed actions in the past
Usage:
- To describe actions that were completed in the past: Ayer, comí pizza. (Yesterday, I ate pizza.)
- To talk about actions that happened at a specific time: El año pasado, viajé a España. (Last year, I traveled to Spain.)
- To narrate a sequence of events: Llegué, vi, y vencí. (I came, I saw, I conquered.)
Regular Conjugation (Indicative):
| Person | AR Verbs | ER Verbs | IR Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Irregular Verbs:
Some verbs in the preterite tense are irregular and have unique conjugation patterns. Common irregular verbs include:
- Ser (to be) and Ir (to go): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
- Hacer (to do/make): hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron
- Tener (to have): tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron
- Estar (to be): estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, estuvieron
- Poder (to be able to): pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron
Stem-Changing Verbs:
Certain stem-changing verbs have vowel changes in the preterite indicative tense, but only in the third-person forms (él, ella, usted, ellos, ustedes). Examples:
- Dormir (to sleep): dormí, dormiste, durmió, dormimos, dormisteis, durmieron
- Pedir (to ask): pedí, pediste, pidió, pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron
Common Time Expressions:
- Ayer (yesterday)
- La semana pasada (last week)
- El año pasado (last year)
- Hace dos días (two days ago)
- En 1999 (in 1999)
Examples:
- Ayer hablé con María. (Yesterday, I spoke with María.)
- Nosotros comimos en ese restaurante. (We ate at that restaurant.)
- Ellos fueron a la playa el fin de semana pasado. (They went to the beach last weekend.)
