This introduction covers Los siete irregulares del pretérito — 7 Key Irregular Preterites Side by Side 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 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📚 Los siete irregulares del pretérito — 7 Key Irregular Preterites Side by Side
These verbs do not follow the regular -é/-aste/-ó pattern. Each has its own stem. Study the table column by column — spot which verbs share the same endings, and note where accents are absent.
| Pronombre | ser / ir | hacer | tener | estar | ver | dar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | hice | tuve | estuve | vi | di |
| tú | fuiste | hiciste | tuviste | estuviste | viste | diste |
| él/ella | fue | hizo | tuvo | estuvo | vio | dio |
| nosotros | fuimos | hicimos | tuvimos | estuvimos | vimos | dimos |
| ellos/ellas | fueron | hicieron | tuvieron | estuvieron | vieron | dieron |
ser and ir share IDENTICAL preterite forms — only context tells them apart. Fui means "I went" or "I was" depending on the sentence.
Practice questions for Preterite: key irregulars (ir/ser/hacer/tener/estar/ver/dar)
Quick recall flashcards
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)
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.