These are the preterite forms you will meet most often in GCSE reading and listening papers, almost always in the él/ella form. Three of them are irregular — they do not follow the regular endings and must be memorised.
| Infinitivo | Él/ella pretérito | Significado | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | habló | he/she spoke | regular -ar |
| llegar | llegó | he/she arrived | regular -ar |
| comprar | compró | he/she bought | regular -ar |
| visitar | visitó | he/she visited | regular -ar |
| estudiar | estudió | he/she studied | regular -ar |
| comer | comió | he/she ate | regular -er |
| salir | salió | he/she went out / left | regular -ir |
| ir / ser | fue | he/she went / was | ⚠️ irregular — same form for ir and ser |
| ver | vio | he/she saw / watched | ⚠️ irregular — no accent on vio |
| dar | dio | he/she gave | ⚠️ irregular — no accent on dio |
⭐ Marcadores de tiempo — Time Markers for the Preterite
- ayer — yesterday
- anoche — last night
- la semana pasada — last week
- el año pasado — last year
- hace tres días — three days ago
- el sábado pasado — last Saturday
In GCSE reading and listening, these time markers are your first signal that the preterite is being used. Spot the time marker, expect the preterite.
This introduction covers Vocabulario de alta frecuencia — High-Frequency Preterite Verbs 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 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 (regular verbs)
Quick recall flashcards
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
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