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All 14 Flashcards — Preterite
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Question
el pretérito indefinido
Answer
the preterite (the simple past for completed actions)
Question
hablar → yo
Answer
hablé (I spoke)
Question
comer → yo
Answer
comí (I ate)
Question
vivir → él / ella
Answer
vivió (he/she lived)
Question
hablar → ellos / ustedes
Answer
hablaron (they / you-all spoke)
Question
comer → nosotros
Answer
comimos (we ate)
Question
ser / ir → yo
Answer
fui (I was / I went — both verbs share this form)
Question
hacer → yo
Answer
hice (I did / I made)
Question
tener → yo
Answer
tuve (I had)
Question
estar → yo
Answer
estuve (I was / I stayed)
Question
When do you use the preterite?
Answer
For completed past actions: a single finished event, a sequence of events, or an action at a specific time (ayer, de repente).
Question
Why does the accent on «habló» matter?
Answer
«habló» (with accent) is the preterite «he/she spoke»; «hablo» (no accent) is the present «I speak» — the tilde changes the meaning.
Question
What ending does an -er/-ir verb take in the preterite «yo»?
Answer
«-í» (comí, viví) — not the -ar ending «-é»; the -er and -ir families share the same preterite endings.
Question
Name three preterite irregulars.
Answer
ser/ir → fui, hacer → hice, tener → tuve (also estar → estuve, decir → dije).
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Full study notes for Preterite
Topic 3.2 hub
Past tenses
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Spanish B exam skills
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