This introduction covers Las terminaciones del pretérito — Preterite Endings within Preterite (regular verbs) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Preterite (regular verbs) 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.
📚 Las terminaciones del pretérito — Preterite Endings
Three verb families, one past tense. Learn the endings below and you can put hundreds of Spanish verbs into the past. Note: -ER and -IR verbs share identical endings — learn them once, use them for both.
| Pronombre | hablar (to speak) — -ar | comer (to eat) — -er | vivir (to live) — -ir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| él/ella/usted | habló | comió | vivió |
| nosotros | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| vosotros | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
The -ER and -IR preterite endings are identical — learn them once for both.
Practice questions for Preterite (regular verbs)
Quick recall flashcards
Conjugate COMER in the preterite tense (all 6 persons)
yo com**í** — I ate
tú com**iste** — you ate
él/ella com**ió** — he/she ate
nosotros com**imos** — we ate
vosotros com**isteis** — you (pl.) ate
ellos/ellas com**ieron** — they ate
Pattern: -ER preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
Conjugate VIVIR in the preterite tense (all 6 persons)
yo viv**í** — I lived
tú viv**iste** — you lived
él/ella viv**ió** — he/she lived
nosotros viv**imos** — we lived
vosotros viv**isteis** — you (pl.) lived
ellos/ellas viv**ieron** — they lived
Pattern: -IR preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron