Preterite Tense of –ar Verbs

The preterite tense (or simple past) of –ar verbs uses a different set of endings than the present tense of –ar verbs. Study the

preterite endings below:

yo -é nosotros -amos

tú -aste

Ud./él/ella -ó Uds./ellos/ellas -aron

Note the accent marks on the “yo” and the “Ud./él/ella” forms. It is important that you remember these accent marks, because

the verb will change meaning if you forget them. Observe:

Habló español. He spoke Spanish.

Hablo español. I speak Spanish.

Note that failure to include the accent mark changes both the subject of the sentence and the

tense. So yes, ladies and gentlemen – accents ARE important!

Let’s do some examples. What is the correct preterite form of the given verb in these sentences? The answer will appear

after 10 seconds.Ellos en la clase. (hablar)

Tú muy bien. (cantar)

Yo la tarea temprano. (terminar)

Nosotros al parque. (caminar)

cantaste

terminé

hablaron

caminamos

Let’s do some practice. Complete these sentences with the correct

form of the given verb. Tú _______ a San Diego. (viajar)

viajaste!That’s right… it’s

estudió!That’s right… it’s

Eva _________ mucho ayer. (estudiar)

Here’s some more practice. Nosotros no _______ a la fiesta.

(bailar)

bailamos!That’s right… it’s

cantaron! That’s right… it’s

Uds. ________ muy mal. (cantar)

Nosotros _______la cena. (cocinar)

cocinamos!That’s right… it’s

compraron!That’s right… it’s

Teresa y Juan _______ mucho. (comprar)

VOILA!

See how easy that was? Now try some on your

own – click the button to do a practice quiz.

PracticeQuiz

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