El Pretérito 2023

El Pretérito 2023

por la Sra. Isaacs

​El Pretérito

​The preterite is just one of several past tenses in Spanish. It is used to talk about completed actions in the past. We use it to discuss actions or events that lasted a specific amount of time in the past but are now completed. We also use it to discuss what happened or what someone did at a specific point in the past.

​Más...

The preterite is used to narrate​ individual events. It is also used to indicate the beginning or end of an event in the past and to talk about events that occurred a specific number of times.

​Conjugation

​Let's talk about conjugation. In order to conjugate, we start with an infinitive. An infinitive is the simplest form of the verb. It is a verb that has no subject. Infinitives end with -AR, -ER or -IR. Infinitives are useless unless you combine them with other verbs or...you conjugate them!

​What is conjugation?

​When you conjugate a verb, you give the verb a subject.

​

​¡Practiquemos! Let's practice!

​

​Start with the verb infinitive.

Ej. ​visitar

​

Chop the ending off, verb lumberjack! CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!

​

Adiós, -AR...

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​Cosas importantes...

​Now, we are left with the stem of the verb.

​

​The stem of the verb tells you what the action is.

​

​Ej. visit=visit

​ beb=drink

​ com=eat

​ bail=dance

​

​Next, we add new endings to the stem.

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​Why are verb endings so important?

​Verb endings are incredibly important.

​

​We add new verb endings to a stem after the -AR, -ER or -IR has been removed.

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​Verb endings are sources of two important pieces of information.

​

​1. Verb endings indicate the subject of the sentence.

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​2. Verb endings indicate the tense, or when the action occurred.

​New Verb Tenses

​Whenever we learn a new verb tense, we have to learn a new set of verb endings. In Spa I, you learned present tense endings to talk about events in the present day. Because we are going to be talking about completed actions in the past, we need to learn a new set of verb endings.

​Spelling Changes and Irregular Verbs

Learning a new verb tense is a lot of work! Not only do we have to memorize the new endings, but we also often have to memorize spelling changes. For the preterite tense, we also have to learn some irregular verbs and some new verb stems...

​Irregular? What's that?

​In Spanish, when we call something "irregular," that means that it does not fit a pattern. It also means that you have to memorize something new. You cannot just chop something off and add a new ending like you do with other verbs.

Multiple Choice

El pretérito is used to talk about...

• actions in the present.

• completed actions in the past.

• actions that are happening right now, currently in progress.

• future actions.

Multiple Choice

El Pretérito is the only form of the past tense in Spanish.

• Cierto

• Falso

Multiple Choice

We use the preterite to discuss...

• habitual events, events that were repeated an unspecified number of times.

• future events.

• actions or events that lasted a specific amount of time in the past but are now completed.

• descriptions in the past.

Multiple Choice

We also use the preterite to discuss...

• the beginning or ending of events in the past.

• events that would happen if certain conditions were met.

• predictions, forecasts.

• commands.

Multiple Choice

Finally, we use the preterite to talk about...

• descriptions in the past.

• events that occurred an unspecified number of times.

• predictions.

• events that happened a specific number of times in the past.

Multiple Choice

Choose the answer that does not describe an infinitive.

• The form of the verb that ends with -ar, -er, -or, or -ir

• An unconjugated verb

• A verb that has no subject

• The simplest form of a verb

Multiple Choice

Choose the best, most specific, answer for conjugation. Conjugation means...

• making words agree in number and in gender.

• giving a verb a subject.

• changing the ending of a word.

Multiple Choice

The stem of a verb tells you...

• what the subject is.

• what the action is.

Multiple Choice

The ending of a conjugated verb tells you...

• what the action is.

• who is performing the action (the subject).

• when the action occurred (tense).

• who is performing the action and when the action occurred.

Multiple Choice

There is one set of endings for all verb tenses in Spanish.

• Cierto

• Falso

Multiple Choice

Irregular verbs...

• fit a pattern.

• do not fit a pattern.

Multiple Choice

The preterite tense...

• has spelling changes, but it doesn't have any irregular verbs.

• has irregular verbs, but it doesn't have any spelling changes.

• doesn't have any irregular verbs or spelling changes.

• has irregular verbs, spelling changes, and irregular stems.

​Preterite of Regular

​-AR Verbs

​To form the preterite of regular -AR verbs, CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! the ending off the infinitive, and add the new ending to the verb's stem.

​Notice anything?

​The nosotros form of the present tense AND the preterite tense are both -AMOS! Weird, right? How can you tell the difference? Use context clues to determine whether the speaker is talking about the present or the past. Also, the stem-changing -AR verbs do not have stem changes in the preterite. For instance the u does not change to ue for the verb jugar!

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Multiple Choice

Which verb ending is the same in the present and preterite tenses for -ar and -ir verbs?

• Ud.

• Uds.

• Vosotros

• Nosotros

Multiple Choice

How do you determine what verb tense is being used if the verb ending is identical in the present and preterite tenses?

• Use the force.

• Use context clues.

• Use the infinity stones.

Multiple Choice

Verbs always have the same stem changes in the present and preterite tenses.

• Cierto

• Falso

​Preterite of Regular

​-ER/-IR Verbs

​To form the preterite of regular

-ER/-IR verbs, CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! the ending off the infinitive, and add the new ending to the verb's stem. Regular -ER and -IR verbs have the same endings in the preterite. The stem-changing -ER verbs do not have stem changes in the preterite.

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​¡Comparemos!

​

​-CAR -GAR -ZAR Verbs

​Spelling changes in the yo form of the preterite.

• ​In -CAR verbs, the c changes to qu.​

• ​In -GAR verbs, the g changes to gu.

• ​In -ZAR verbs, the z changes to c.

Multiple Choice

The -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR spelling changes only happen in the_____________form.

• yo

• él/ella/Ud.

• ellos/ellas/Uds.

• tú

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​-AER -EER -UIR Verbs & oír

​For verbs that end in -AER, -EER, -UIR (as well as the verb oír=to hear) the él/ella/usted form uses the ending yó (rather than ió) and the third person plural uses the ending yeron (rather than ieron). The remaining forms gain a written accent over the letter i.

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The verbs ir (to go) and ser (to be)

are IDENTICAL in the preterite tense

NOTICE: there are NO ACCENTS on these forms

So how do you tell the difference?

CONTEXT!!

Yofui al acuario el viernes pasado. (a place- ir= went)

El acuario fue divertido. (an adjective- ser= was)

a/al usually indicates you are talking about a place (to/at) (IR- went)

​

​Remember your rules for SER.

Multiple Choice

Mi abuela fue maestra por 40 años.

• ir

• ser

Multiple Choice

Mis amigos y yo fuimos al concierto.

• ir

• ser

Multiple Choice

¿Fuiste a la fiesta el sábado pasado?

• ir

• ser

Multiple Select

El partido de fútbol fue excelente.

• ir

• ser

Multiple Choice

Ramona y Susana fueron al colegio.

• ir

• ser

Multiple Select

Which two verbs have identical forms in the preterite tense?

• saber and conocer

• ser and estar

• ser and ir

• saber and ir

Multiple Select

Choose the correct preterite tense form of the italicized verb.

Ellas van a la cafetería.

• fui

• fuiste

• fue

• fuimos

• fueron

Multiple Choice

¿Ser o Ir?

¿Quién cantó ayer? Fue Luisa.

• ser

• ir

Multiple Choice

¿Ser o Ir?

Maria fue al supermercado.

• ser

• ir

Multiple Choice

I went

• Fueron

• Fuiste

• Fue

• Fui

Multiple Select

I was

• Fui

• Fue

• Fuiste

• Fueron

Multiple Choice

Mario y Ramona went

• fuisteis

• fueron

• fuimos

• fuiste

Multiple Choice

Choose the form of the same verb for el pretérito.

va=

• fui

• fue

• hice

• hizo

Multiple Select

Choose all subjects that would work with this verb.

fuimos

• Nosotras

• Vosotros

• Julio y yo

• Ana y tú

• Laura y Ud.

Multiple Select

We went...

• Fuimos

• Fuimos a

• Fuisteis

• Fuisteis a

el verbo HACER en el pretérito

to do/ to make (did/made)

¿Qué hiciste tú? What did you do?

¿Qué hicieron Uds.? What did y'all do?

No accents* and notice the C->Z spell change before "o"

Notice: There are no accents* and notice the C->Z spell change before "o"

HIZO

HACER works a little differently than other verbs

• Usually when asked a yes/no question, you restate using the same verb in the "yo" form

• With HACER, this isn't always necessary, unless the actual verb hacer is required.

Por ejemplo

• Did you do the HW last night?

• Yes, I did it.​

• This REQUIRES the verb hacer to mean "did."

• ​¿Hiciste la tarea anoche?

• ​Sí, la hice.

Ejemplo 2

• What did y'all do last night ¿Qué hicieron Uds. anoche?

• We went to the movies. Fuimos al cine.

• ​We saw a movie.

• Vimos una película.

• This answer doesn't required a restating of the verb "hacer."

• ​You would use the verb ir=to go or the verb ver=to see.

Multiple Choice

¿Qué hicieron ayer?

• Jugaron al básquetbol.

• Hicieron al básquetbol.

Multiple Choice

¿Hiciste algo interesante ayer?

• Sí, fui al concierto y canté con el coro.

• Sí, hice el concierto y hice el coro.

Multiple Choice

¿Qué hizo Diego anoche?

• Diego exploró África.

• Diego hizo África.

Multiple Choice

¿Adónde fueron Uds. anoche?

• Fueron a la fiesta.

• Fuimos a la fiesta.

• Fuisteis a la fiesta.

• Hicimos la fiesta..

Multiple Choice

¿Cómo fue la competencia de natación?

• ¡Fue divertida!

• Hice divertida.

Multiple Choice

¿Qué hizo Lola ayer?

• Ella hizo los quehaceres.

• Ella fue los quehaceres.