These six sentences cover the most commonly tested irregular preterites in AQA writing and speaking tasks. Learn them as ready-made structures you can adapt on the day.
| Español | English | Verb analysis |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana? | What did you do at the weekend? | [hacer, tú] |
| Fui al cine con mi familia. | I went to the cinema with my family. | [ir, yo] |
| Fue una experiencia increíble. | It was an incredible experience. | [ser, él/ella] |
| Estuve en casa todo el día. | I was at home all day. | [estar, yo] |
| Vi una película muy buena. | I saw a very good film. | [ver, yo] |
| Tuve que estudiar mucho. | I had to study a lot. | [tener, yo + tener que + inf] |
This introduction covers High-Frequency Exam Sentences — Irregular Preterites in Use within Preterite: key irregulars (ir/ser/hacer/tener/estar/ver/dar) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Preterite: key irregulars (ir/ser/hacer/tener/estar/ver/dar) in Time Frames for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Preterite: key irregulars (ir/ser/hacer/tener/estar/ver/dar)
Quick recall flashcards
tener — preterite tense (all forms)
Note the stem.
tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron
Stem: tuv- (u-stem irregular)
Example sentences:
• Tuve mucha suerte. = I had a lot of luck.
• Tuvo un accidente. = He/She had an accident.
• Tuvimos tiempo libre. = We had free time.
ir — preterite tense (all forms)
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
⚠️ These forms are IDENTICAL to ser preterite. Only context tells them apart:
• Fui al cine = I went to the cinema (ir — movement)
• Fue una experiencia increíble = It was an incredible experience (ser — description)