OUTLINES OF GRAMMAR

 

1. EL PRETÉRITO (THE SIMPLE PAST)

 

a) This is formed by adding to the stem of the verb the following endings:

 

-AR verbs            Singular:         -é, -aste, -ó

                        Plural:-           -amos, -asteis, -aron 

 

-ER verbs            Singular:         -í, -iste, -ió

& -IR verbs            Plural:-           -imos, -isteis, -ieron 

 

Note: Accents are placed over 1^st and 3^rd person singular

 

HABLAR                               COMER                   VIVIR

hablé (I spoke)                        comí (I ate)                  viví (I lived)

hablaste                                  comiste                      viviste

habló                                       comió                          vivió

hablamos                                comimos                    vivimos

hablasteis                               comisteis                   vivisteis

hablaron                                  comieron                    vivieron

 

Note: This tense is used chiefly to recount events which took place at a particular time in the past:

                        Me levanté, salí a la pizarra, etc

I got up, I went to the blackboard, etc.

 

b) Spelling changes

 

Just as the noun lápiz becomes lápices, so with verbs the letter z becomes c before i and e:

                        empezar            empecé            empezó

                        cruzar              crucé               cruzó

 

Similarly, a hard g becomes gu before i or e:

                        llegar               llegué              llegó

                        pagar               pagué              pagó

                        seguir              seguí               siguió

 

Remember the rule that an i unaccented between two vowels becomes a y

                        OÍR (to hear):                      oí, oyó, oímos, oyeron

                        CAER (to fall):-            caí, cayó, caímos, cayeron

                        HUIR (to flee):-            huí, huyó, huímos, huyeron

 

                       

 

 

 

 

OUTLINES OF GRAMMAR

 

2. EL PRETÉRITO (THE SIMPLE PAST) – IRREGULAR VERBS

 

Some of the most common verbs in Spanish have irregularities in their preterite form.  The only real way of learning to live with these irregularities is to use the verbs as often as possible in both your written and your spoken work.

 

SER AND IR                          HACER                     DECIR        

fui (I was/I went)                hice (I did/I made)            dije (I said//I told)

fuiste                                       hiciste                         dijiste

fue                                           hizo                              dijo

fuimos                                     hicimos                      dijimos

fuisteis                                    hicisteis                      dijisteis

fueron                                     hicieron                      dijeron

 

VER                                        DAR                           CONDUCIR             

vi (I saw)                                 di (I gave)               conduje (I drove)

viste                                        diste                            condujiste      

vio                                           dio                               condujo                     

vimos                                      dimos                          condujimos

visteis                                     disteis                         condujisteis

vieron                                      dieron                          condujeron

 

There is a pattern to most irregular preterites.  The verbs above, however, do not entirely follow the pattern.

Other irregular preterites that do follow a fixed pattern are listed below:-

estar (to be) estuve, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
saber (to know) supe, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
poner (to put) puse, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
suponer (to suppose) supuse, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
andar (to walk) anduve, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
poder (to be able to) pude, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
querer (to want) quise, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
venir (to come) vine, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)
tener (to have) tuve, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron)

Also:-
traer (to bring) traje, (-iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron)

NO ACCENTS ON IRREGULAR PRETERITES!