Regular Verbs:
* -ar verbs: Add -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron to the stem.
* Example: Hablar (to speak) - hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron.
* -er verbs: Add -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron to the stem.
* Example: Comer (to eat) - comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron.
* -ir verbs: Add -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron to the stem.
* Example: Vivir (to live) - viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron.
Irregular Verbs:
Irregular verbs have unique preterite forms that must be memorized. Some common examples include:
* Ser (to be): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.
* Ir (to go): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.
* Tener (to have): tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron.
* Hacer (to do/make): hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron.
Important Notes:
* The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions in the past.
* It is also used to express actions that occurred over a specific period of time in the past.
* In Spanish, the preterite tense is often used in narrative writing and storytelling.
Example Sentences:
* Yo hablé con mi amigo ayer. (I spoke with my friend yesterday.)
* Ella comió pizza para la cena. (She ate pizza for dinner.)
* Nosotros vivimos en Madrid durante cinco años. (We lived in Madrid for five years.)
To further understand the preterite tense, it's helpful to refer to a Spanish grammar book or online resources that provide detailed conjugations of regular and irregular verbs.