Master the conjugation rules for regular and irregular verbs in the Pretérito Indefinido
Understand when to use this tense for completed actions in the past
Learn common time expressions that trigger the use of the Indefinido
Practice forming sentences to talk about specific past events and tell simple stories
Differentiate between the Indefinido and other past tenses you will learn
Master the Simple Past in Spanish
The Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past) is one of the most important tenses for storytelling in Spanish. It’s used to talk about actions that are seen as completed, with a definite beginning and end in the past. If you want to say what you did yesterday, last year, or at a specific time, this is the tense you need!
When to Use the Pretérito Indefinido (Cuándo Usarlo)
Use this tense for:
✅ Completed Actions: Actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past.
✅ Sequenced Events: A series of completed actions that happened one after another.
✅ Past Actions with a Specific Time Frame: Actions that happened a specific number of times or during a defined period.
Example Sentences:
“Viajé a España el año pasado.” (I traveled to Spain last year.)
“Ayer compré un libro, leí dos capítulos y luego cené.” (Yesterday I bought a book, read two chapters, and then had dinner.)
“Viví en México por tres años.” (I lived in Mexico for three years.)
Table: Regular -AR, -ER, and -IR Verb Endings – The foundation of the Spanish simple past
💡 Grammar Tip: Notice that the Nosotros form for -AR and -IR verbs is the same as in the present tense! You must rely on context to know if “hablamos” means “we speak” (present) or “we spoke” (past).
💡 Interactive Practice: Want to check any verb’s conjugation? Use Spanish Verb Conjugation Tool ► to practice the Indefinido, Imperfecto, and all other tenses with instant feedback.
Common Irregular Verbs (Verbos Irregulares Comunes)
Infinitive
Yo
Tú
Él/Ella/Usted
Nosotros
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes
Ir (to go)
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fueron
Ser (to be)
fui
fuiste
fue
fuimos
fueron
Hacer (to do/make)
hice
hiciste
hizo
hicimos
hicieron
Tener (to have)
tuve
tuviste
tuvo
tuvimos
tuvieron
Estar (to be)
estuve
estuviste
estuvo
estuvimos
estuvieron
Ver (to see)
vi
viste
vio
vimos
vieron
Dar (to give)
di
diste
dio
dimos
dieron
Decir (to say)
dije
dijiste
dijo
dijimos
dijeron
Table: Essential Irregular Verbs in the Indefinido – Must-know verbs for past narration in Spanish
🔍 Grammar Focus: The verbs Ir (to go) and Ser (to be) have the exact same conjugation in the Indefinido. “Fui” can mean “I went” or “I was,” so context is everything! “Fui a la playa” (I went to the beach) vs. “Fui profesor” (I was a teacher).
Time Expressions that Trigger the Indefinido
These words often signal that you need to use the Pretérito Indefinido:
English
Spanish
Yesterday
ayer
Last night
anoche
Last week
la semana pasada
Last year
el año pasado
The day before yesterday
anteayer
Once / One time
una vez
Suddenly
de repente
Then / Later
luego
Finally
finalmente
For [period]
durante [period] / por [period]
Putting It All Together: A Short Story in the Past
El Fin de Semana Pasado (Last Weekend) “El sábado pasado, me desperté temprano. Primero, fui al mercado y compré fruta fresca. Luego, hice ejercicio en el parque. Por la tarde, mis amigos y yo vimos una película. Finalmente, cenamos en un restaurante nuevo. Fue un día perfecto.”
Translation: “Last Saturday, I woke up early. First, I went to the market and bought fresh fruit. Then, I exercised in the park. In the afternoon, my friends and I watched a movie. Finally, we had dinner at a new restaurant. It was a perfect day.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Confusing with the Present: “Hablamos” can be present or past. Use time markers for clarity.
Using it for Descriptions: The Indefinido is for actions, not for describing how things were (that’s the Imperfecto).
Irregular Verb Mix-ups: Remember “fue” can mean “he went” OR “he was.”
Accent Marks: Crucial for “yo -é” and “él -ó” forms to avoid confusion with other words (e.g., “hablo” vs. “habló”).
Overusing for “Used to”: For habits in the past, you will learn the Imperfecto (“iba” = I used to go).
Frequently Asked Questions About Preterite vs Imperfect
Preterite describes completed actions with a clear beginning and end. It answers “what happened?” Imperfect describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions. It answers “what was happening?” or “what used to happen?” Think of preterite as a snapshot (one moment) and imperfect as a video (ongoing scene).
For regular -ar verbs in the preterite, add these endings: -é (yo), -aste (tú), -ó (él/ella/usted), -amos (nosotros), -asteis (vosotros), -aron (ellos/ellas/ustedes). Example with hablar: hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron. Note the accent on the yo and él forms.
For regular -er and -ir verbs in the preterite, add these endings: -í (yo), -iste (tú), -ió (él/ella/usted), -imos (nosotros), -isteis (vosotros), -ieron (ellos/ellas/ustedes). Example with comer: comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron. Example with vivir: viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron.
For regular -ar verbs in the imperfect, add these endings: -aba (yo), -abas (tú), -aba (él/ella/usted), -ábamos (nosotros), -abais (vosotros), -aban (ellos/ellas/ustedes). Example with hablar: hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban.
For regular -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect, add these endings: -ía (yo), -ías (tú), -ía (él/ella/usted), -íamos (nosotros), -íais (vosotros), -ían (ellos/ellas/ustedes). Example with comer: comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían. Example with vivir: vivía, vivías, vivía, vivíamos, vivíais, vivían.
Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (to be), ir (to go), and ver (to see). Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban. Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían. All other verbs are regular in the imperfect.
Use preterite for: completed past actions (Ayer comí pizza), actions with a specific beginning and end (Viví en Madrid por cinco años), sequences of completed actions (Me levanté, me vestí, y salí), sudden changes (De repente, sintió miedo), and specific time frames (El año pasado viajé a México).
Use imperfect for: habitual past actions (Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol), ongoing actions without specific end (Llovía cuando salí), descriptions of people, places, time, weather (Era alta y tenía el pelo largo), background information (La casa era vieja), and mental/emotional states (Quería ser médico).
Common preterite trigger words: ayer (yesterday), anteayer (day before yesterday), anoche (last night), la semana pasada (last week), el mes pasado (last month), el año pasado (last year), entonces (then), de repente (suddenly), por fin (finally), una vez (once), dos veces (twice), desde el primer momento (from the first moment).
Common imperfect trigger words: siempre (always), nunca (never), a menudo (often), con frecuencia (frequently), cada día (every day), cada semana (every week), todos los días (every day), generalmente (generally), de niño/a (as a child), cuando era joven (when I was young), mientras (while), a veces (sometimes).
Use imperfect to describe the ongoing background action and preterite for the interrupting action. Example: “Mientras caminaba (imperfect – ongoing) por la calle, vi (preterite – completed) a mi amigo.” While I was walking down the street, I saw my friend. The imperfect sets the scene, the preterite shows the specific event.
Some verbs change meaning: conocer (imperfect: knew, preterite: met), saber (imperfect: knew facts, preterite: found out), querer (imperfect: wanted, preterite: tried to / refused), no querer (imperfect: didn’t want, preterite: refused), poder (imperfect: could, preterite: managed to / succeeded), tener (imperfect: had, preterite: received/got).
“Era” (imperfect of ser) describes ongoing or habitual characteristics: “Era alto y rubio” (He was tall and blonde – description). “Fue” (preterite of ser) describes a completed event or specific instance: “Fue un buen médico” (He was a good doctor – over his career, completed). Era sets the scene, fue states a completed fact.
Common mistakes include: using preterite for habitual actions (correct: “Cuando era niño, jugaba” not “jugó”), using imperfect for completed actions with specific time frames (correct: “Ayer comí” not “comía”), forgetting irregular preterite forms, confusing meaning-changing verbs like conocer and saber, and using imperfect for interruptions (correct: “De repente, entró” not “entraba”).
The best ways to practice: take our Preterite vs Imperfect Quiz, write stories combining both tenses, read Spanish narratives and identify each tense, practice with trigger words flashcards, listen to Spanish songs and notice tense usage, and use our Spanish Verb Conjugation Tool to practice any verb in both tenses.
“Estaba” (imperfect of estar) describes ongoing location, feeling, or state: “Estaba cansado” (He was tired – ongoing state). “Estuvo” (preterite of estar) describes a completed state or specific moment: “Estuvo enfermo por tres días” (He was sick for three days – completed period). Use estaba for background, estuvo for completed actions with specific time frames.
