Spanish 2 / Unit 2: The Preterite of Regular Verbs
2.2 Preterite of -er and -ir Verbs
Notes
-er and -ir verbs share the same preterite endings.
| Subject | comer | escribir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comí | escribí |
| tú | comiste | escribiste |
| él / ella / usted | comió | escribió |
| nosotros | comimos | escribimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | comieron | escribieron |
- For -ar and -ir verbs, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite (hablamos, vivimos). Use context to tell them apart.
- Example: Anoche salí con mis primos y comimos pizza.
Practice
Tú ___ (comer) tacos ayer.
The tú ending for -er verbs is -iste.
Ellos ___ (escribir) cartas a sus abuelos.
Ellos takes -ieron in the preterite.
How can you tell "bailamos" is preterite in "Ayer bailamos mucho"?
For -ar verbs the nosotros form is identical in present and preterite, so the context word ayer tells you.
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