Preterite Tense Conjugation of Irregular Verbs
The preterite tense in Spanish is used to express an action completed at a definite time in the past, equivalent to English simple past tense.
The preterite of regular verbs is formed by dropping the -ar, -er, or -ir infinitive endings and adding the preterite endings. There are two sets of regular endings for the preterite:
- -ar verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron
- -er and -ir verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
Several verbs have very irregular forms in the preterite. The preterite form of these verbs does not follow any of the preceding patterns and it is best to learn them by heart.
Here are some of the most common irregular verbs in the preterite:
Estar - to be (feelings/location)
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | estuve | I was |
| tú |
estuviste
|
you were |
| él ella usted |
estuvo
|
he was she was you (formal) were |
| nosotros nosotras |
estuvimos
|
we were we were |
| vosotros vosotras |
estuvisteis
|
you (plural) were you (plural) were |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
estuvieron
|
they were they were you (formal, plural) were |
Ser - to be (essential/permanent quality)
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | fui | I was |
| tú |
fuiste
|
you were |
| él ella usted |
fue
|
he was she was you (formal) were |
| nosotros nosotras |
fuimos
|
we were we were |
| vosotros vosotras |
fuisteis
|
you (plural) were you (plural) were |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
fueron
|
they were they were you (formal, plural) were |
Ir - to go
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | fui | I went |
| tú |
fuiste
|
you went |
| él ella usted |
fue
|
he went she went you (formal) went |
| nosotros nosotras |
fuimos
|
we went we went |
| vosotros vosotras |
fuisteis
|
you (plural) went you (plural) went |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
fueron
|
they went they went you (formal, plural) went |
Note that the verbs ser and ir have the same preterite and only the context makes it clear which verb is being used.
Tener - to have
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | tuve | I had |
| tú |
tuviste
|
you had |
| él ella usted |
tuvo
|
he had she had you (formal) had |
| nosotros nosotras |
tuvimos
|
we had we had |
| vosotros vosotras |
tuvisteis
|
you (plural) had you (plural) had |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
tuvieron
|
they had they had you (formal, plural) had |
Venir - to come
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | vine | I came |
| tú |
viniste
|
you came |
| él ella usted |
vino
|
he came she came you (formal) came |
| nosotros nosotras |
vinimos
|
we came we came |
| vosotros vosotras |
vinisteis
|
you (plural) came you (plural) came |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
vinieron
|
they came they came you (formal, plural) came |
Decir - to say, to tell
| Subject |
Verb
|
Meaning |
| yo | dije | I said |
| tú |
dijiste
|
you said |
| él ella usted |
dijo
|
he said she said you (formal) said |
| nosotros nosotras |
dijimos
|
we said we said |
| vosotros vosotras |
dijisteis
|
you (plural) said you (plural) said |
| ellos ellas ustedes |
dijeron
|
they said they said you (formal, plural) said |
Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the preterite tense:
Yo fui la mejor candidata. - I was the best candidate.
Tú estuviste aquí sólo tres días. - You were here only three days.
Ella tuvo un perro. - She had a dog.
Nosotros fuimos a la playa ayer. - We went to the beach yesterday.
Vosotras también vinisteis al parque. - You (plural) also came to the park.
¿Qué dijeron? - What did they say?
