The preterite: -ER and -IR verbs
Good news: -ER and -IR verbs share exactly the same preterite endings.
Theory
Take off -er or -ir and add -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
comer and vivir in the preterite
| Who | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comí | viví |
| tú | comiste | viviste |
| él / ella / usted | comió | vivió |
| nosotros/as | comimos | vivimos |
| vosotros/as | comisteis | vivisteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | comieron | vivieron |
In real sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ayer comí paella. | Yesterday I ate paella. |
| ¿Bebiste mucha agua? | Did you drink a lot of water? |
| Vivió en Londres dos años. | She lived in London for two years. |
| Escribimos un correo. | We wrote an email. |
| ¿Aprendisteis algo? | Did you (all) learn anything? |
| Salieron a las ocho. | They left at eight. |
One set of endings
-í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
for both -er and -ir.
Accents on yo and él
comí, comió = I ate, he / she ate
Without them: como = I eat.
vivimos, salimos…
-ir verbs: the nosotros form is the same in present and past.
leer, creer, oír → y
leyó, leyeron = he / she read, they read
creyó = he / she believed
oyó, oyeron = he / she heard, they heard
ver: no accents
vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis, vieron = I saw, you saw, he / she saw…
Past-time words
ayer, anoche, el lunes pasado, en 2020, hace dos años = yesterday, last night, last Monday, in 2020, two years ago
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