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Preterite: Irregular Verbs: El verano pasado estuvimos en Cuba ... (00)

El verano pasado estuvimos en Cuba. means We were in Cuba last summer.

Estuvimos is preterite (past tense) of the irregular verb ESTAR.

El verano pasado estuvimos en Cuba.

Preterite is one of Spanish past tenses. It describes actions completed in the past, actions that were part of a sequence, repeated several times and are no longer valid. Preterite also has to be used when we specify when the event happened by using certain time expressions like "ayer" (yesterday), "la semana pasada" (last week), "en 1999" (in 1999), etc.

IRREGULAR VERBS - Many verbs form preterite irregularly and their conjugations have to be memorized.

Regular verbs preterite formation and use of preterite can be found in the lesson on Preterite: Regular Verbs here.

Preterite of SER (to be)

yo fui	I was
tú fuiste	you were
él, ella fue usted fue	he, she was you (formal) were
nosotros fuimos	we were
vosotros fuisteis ustedes fueron	you (all - informal) were you (all - formal) were
ellos, ellas fueron ustedes fueron	they were you (all - formal) were

Mi abuela fue buena cocinera. = My granny was a very good cook.

Mi abuela fue buena cocinera.

Marineros fueron personas valientes. = Sailors were brave people.

Marineros fueron personas valientes.

Preterite of ESTAR (to be)

yo estuve	I was
tú estuviste	you were
él, ella estuvo usted estuvo	he, she was you (formal) were
nosotros estuvimos	we were
vosotros estuvisteis ustedes estuvieron	you (all - informal) were you (all - formal) were
ellos, ellas estuvieron ustedes estuvieron	they were you (all - formal) were

¿Por qué estuviste en las montañas todo el julio? = Why were you in the mountains all July?

¿Por qué estuviste en las montañas todo el julio?

Estuve muy nerviosa durante la entrevista. = I was very nervous during the interview.

Estuve muy nerviosa durante la entrevista.

Preterite of TENER (to have)

yo tuve	I had
tú tuviste	you had
él, ella tuvo usted tuvo	he, she had you (formal) had
nosotros tuvimos	we had
vosotros tuvisteis ustedes tuvieron	you (all - informal) had you (all - formal) had
ellos, ellas tuvieron ustedes tuvieron	they had you (all - formal) had

Sr.Mendez tuvo un accidente el viernes pasado. = Mr.Mendez had an accident last Friday .

Sr.Mendez tuvo un accidente el viernes pasado.

El fin de semana tuvimos huevos fritos para el desayuno. = We had fried eggs for breakfast on the weekend.

El fin de semana tuvimos huevos fritos para el desayuno.

Preterite of HACER (to do, to make)

yo hice	I did
tú hiciste	you did
él, ella hizo usted hizo	he, she did you (formal) did
nosotros hicimos	we did
vosotros hicisteis ustedes hicieron	you (all - informal) did you (all - formal) did
ellos, ellas hicieron ustedes hicieron	they did you (all - formal) did

Hice sopa de verduras.= I made vegetable soup.

Hice sopa de verduras.

Nos hicieron limonada fría. = They made cold lemonade for us.

Nos hicieron limonada fría.

Preterite of IR (to go): Preterite of IR is exactly the same as of SER. Whether speakers talk about SER or IR, is always apparent from the context.

yo fui	I went
tú fuiste	you went
él, ella fue usted fue	he, she went you (formal) went
nosotros fuimos	we went
vosotros fuisteis ustedes fueron	you (all - informal) went you (all - formal) went
ellos, ellas fueron ustedes fueron	they went you (all - formal) went

Fui a pescar al río con mi abuelo. = I went fishing to the river with my grandfather.

Fui a pescar al río con mi abuelo.

Julio fue de vacaciones a India. = Julio went for vacations to India.

Julio fue de vacaciones a India.

Preterite of PODER (can, to be able to)

yo pude	I was able to / I could
tú pudiste	you were able to / you could
él, ella pudo usted pudo	he, she was able to / he, she could you (formal) were able to /you could
nosotros pudimos	we were able to / we could
vosotros pudisteis ustedes pudieron	you (all - informal) were able to / you could you (all - formal) were able to / you could
ellos, ellas pudieron ustedes pudieron	they were able to / they could you (all - formal) were able to / you could

Los pintores no pudieron terminar el trabajo. = The painters couldn´t finish the work.

Los pintores no pudieron terminar el trabajo.

María no pudo comprender la tarea.= María couldn´t understand the assignment.

María no pudo comprender la tarea.

Preterite of QUERER (to want)

yo quise	I wanted
tú quisiste	you wanted
él, ella quiso usted quiso	he, she wanted you (formal) wanted
nosotros quisimos	we wanted
vosotros quisisteis ustedes quisieron	you (all - informal) wanted you (all - formal) wanted
ellos, ellas quisieron ustedes quisieron	they wanted you (all - formal) wanted

Quisimos ir al concierto, pero no pudimos. = We wanted to go to the concert, but we couldn´t.

Quisimos ir al concierto pero no pudimos.

Jessica quiso comprar una crema de manos. = Jessica wanted to buy a hand cream.

Jessica quiso comprar crema de manos.

Preterite of DECIR (to say, to tell)

yo dije	I said
tú dijiste	you said
él, ella dijo usted dijo	he, she said you (formal) said
nosotros dijimos	we said
vosotros dijisteis ustedes dijeron	you (all - informal) said you (all - formal) said
ellos, ellas dijeron ustedes dijeron	they said you (all - formal) said

Felipe dijo, "¡Adios!" y se fue. = Felipe said "Goodbye" and left.

Felipe dijo "¡Adios!" y se fue.

Estudiaron toda la tarde y no dijeron nada. = They studied the whole afternoon and didn´t say anything.

Estudiaron toda la tarde y no dijeron nada.

Preterite of PONER (to put)

yo puse	I put
tú pusiste	you put
él, ella puso usted puso	he, she put you (formal) put
nosotros pusimos	we put
vosotros pusisteis ustedes pusieron	you (all - informal) put you (all - formal) put
ellos, ellas pusieron ustedes pusieron	they put you (all - formal) put

¿Por qué pusiste las llaves en la mesa? = Why did you put the keys on the table?

¿Por qué pusiste las llaves en la mesa?

Anoche no puse la leche en la nevera. = I didn´t put the milk in the fridge last night.

Anoche no puse la leche en la nevera.

Preterite of SABER (to know, to taste)

yo supe	I knew
tú supiste	you knew
él, ella supo usted supo	he, she knew you (formal) knew
nosotros supimos	we knew
vosotros supisteis ustedes supieron	you (all - informal) knew you (all - formal) knew
ellos, ellas supieron ustedes supieron	they knew you (all - formal) knew

Los estudiantes supieron la respuesta a la pregunta. = The students knew the answer to the question.

Los estudiantes supieron la respuesta a la pregunta.

Tania supo de mi viaje a Inglaterra. = Tania knew about my trip to England.

Tania supo de mi viaje a Inglaterra.

Preterite of VENIR (to come)

yo vine	I came
tú viniste	you came
él, ella vino usted vino	he, she came you (formal) came
nosotros vinimos	we came
vosotros vinisteis ustedes vinieron	you (all - informal) came you (all - formal) came
ellos, ellas vinieron ustedes vinieron	they came you (all - formal) came

Todos mis amigos vinieron a la fiesta. = All my friends came to the party.

Todos mis amigos vinieron a la fiesta.

Ayer vinieron muchos clientes a la tienda. = Many customers came to the shop yesterday.

Ayer vinieron muchos clientes a la tienda.

Preterite of DAR (to give)

yo di	I gave
tú diste	you gave
él, ella dio usted dio	he, she gave you (formal) gave
nosotros dimos	we gave
vosotros disteis ustedes dieron	you (all - informal) gave you (all - formal) gave
ellos, ellas dieron ustedes dieron	they gave you (all - formal) gave

Su esposo le dio rosas a Mercedes. = Mercedes´ husband gave her roses.

Su esposo le dio rosas a Mercedes.

Le di un consejo a mi amiga. = I gave my friend a piece of advice.

Le di un consejo a mi amiga.

Preterite of VER (to see)

yo vi	I saw
tú viste	you saw
él, ella vio usted vio	he, she saw you (formal) saw
nosotros vimos	we saw
vosotros visteis ustedes vieron	you (all - informal) saw you (all - formal) saw
ellos, ellas vieron ustedes vieron	they saw you (all - formal) saw

Anoche vimos la luna llena. = We saw full moon last night.

Anoche vimos la luna llena.

Vimos rayos, pero no escuchamos truenos. = We saw lightning, but didn´t hear the thunder.

Vimos rayos, pero no escuchamos truenos.

Preterite of ANDAR (to walk)

yo anduve	I walked
tú anduviste	you walked
él, ella anduvo usted anduvo	he, she walked you (formal) walked
nosotros anduvimos	we walked
vosotros anduvisteis ustedes anduvieron	you (all - informal) walked you (all - formal) walked
ellos, ellas anduvieron ustedes anduvieron	they walked you (all - formal) walked

Anduve toda la tarde con zapatos de tacón alto. = I walked all aftenoon with high heel shoes.

Anduve toda la tarde con zapatos de tacón alto.

Anduvieron con sus hijos por el parque. = They walked with their children around the park.

Anduvieron con sus hijos por el parque.

Preterite of CABER (to fit)

yo cupe	I fitted
tú cupiste	you fitted
él, ella cupo usted cupo	he, she fitted you (formal) fitted
nosotros cupimos	we fitted
vosotros cupisteis ustedes cupieron	you (all - informal) fitted you (all - formal) fitted
ellos, ellas cupieron ustedes cupieron	they fitted you (all - formal) fitted

La llave no cupo en la cerradura. = The key didn´t fit in the lock.

La llave no cupo en la cerradura.

Las maletas no cupieron en el carro. = The suitcases didn´t fit in the car.

Las maletas no cupieron en el carro.

Preterite of TRAER (to bring)

yo traje	I brought
tú trajiste	you brought
él, ella trajo usted trajo	he, she brought you (formal) brought
nosotros trajimos	we brought
vosotros trajisteis ustedes trajeron	you (all - informal) brought you (all - formal) brought
ellos, ellas trajeron ustedes trajeron	they brought you (all - formal) brought

Eduardo me trajo un helado . = Eduardo brought me ice cream.

Eduardo me trajo un helado.

Mis tíos trajeron la comida para el picnic. = My aunt and uncle brought the food for the picnic.

Mis tíos trajeron la comida para el picnic.

Preterite of HABER (to be, to exist, to have). The verb HABER is mostly used to express impersonal expressions - there is, there are ("hay" in the present tense) or it can be used in compound tenses as an auxiliary verb. To express "there is", "there are", we use only "hubo" form.

yo hube	I had
tú hubiste	you had
él, ella hubo usted hubo	he, she had you (formal) had
nosotros hubimos	we had
vosotros hubisteis ustedes hubieron	you (all - informal) had you (all - formal) had
ellos, ellas hubieron ustedes hubieron	they had you (all - formal) had

Hubo mucha nieve el invierno pasado. = There was a lot of snow last winter.

Hubo mucha nieve el invierno pasado.

En el suelo hubo helado. = There was ice cream on the floor.

En el suelo hubo helado.

Verbs with a change of the stem vowel.

AR verbs and ER verbs keep their original stem vowel in preterite, they don´t change it as in the present tense.

Conjugation of PENSAR (to think) with stem change in the present tense (E > IE)

yo pensé	I thought
tú pensaste	you thought
él, ella pensó usted pensó	he, she thought you all (formal) thought
nosotros pensamos	we thought
vosotros pensasteis ustedes pensaron	you (informal - in Spain only) thought you (formal) thought
ellos, ellas pensaron ustedes pensaron	they thought you all (formal) thought

Las entradas al cine no costaron mucho. = The cinema tickets didn´t cost much.

Las entradas al cine no costaron mucho.

Cerré la puerta lentamente. = I closed the door slowly.

Cerré la puerta lentamente.

Conjugation of MOVER (to move) with stem change in the present tense (O > UE)

yo moví	I moved
tú moviste	you moved
él, ella movió usted movió	he, she moved you all (formal) moved
nosotros movimos	we moved
vosotros movisteis ustedes movieron	you (informal - in Spain only) moved you (formal) moved
ellos, ellas movieron ustedes movieron	they moved you all (formal) moved

A qué no entendiste ? = What didn´t you understand?

A qué no entendiste?

Juan devolvió los libros a la biblioteca. = Juan returned the books to the library.

Juan devolvió los libros a la biblioteca.

IR verbs that change stem vowel, change their stem vowels ONLY in 3rd person (singular and plural).

Conjugation of DORMIR (to sleep) with stem change in the present tense (O > UE)

yo dormí	I slept
tú dormiste	you slept
él, ella durmió usted durmió	he, she slept you (formal) slept
nosotros dormimos	we slept
vosotros dormisteis ustedes durmieron	you all (informal - in Spain only) slept you all (formal) slept
ellos, ellas durmieron ustedes durmieron	they slept you (all - formal) slept

Conjugation of COMPETIR (to compete) with stem change in the present tense (E > I)

yo competí	I competed
tú competiste	you competed
él, ella compitió usted compitió	he, she competed you (formal) competed
nosotros competimos	we competed
vosotros competisteis ustedes compitieron	you all (informal - in Spain only) competed you all (formal) competed
ellos, ellas compitieron ustedes compitieron	they competed you (all - formal) competed

Me vestí rápidamente . = I got dressed quickly.

Me vestí rápidamente.

Susana repitió la pregunta. = Susana repeated the question.

Susana repitió la pregunta.

Verbs with a change in spelling.

Some verbs change the spelling of their YO form to keep the same pronunciation.

Verbs ending -gar change into -gu.

-gar (pagar - to pay)	-gu (yo pagué - I paid)
-gar (llegar - to arrive)	-gu (yo llegué - I arrived)
-gar (jugar - to play)	-gu (yo jugué - I played)
-gar (regar - to water)	-gu (yo regué - I watered)

Llegué a la estación temprano, tuve que esperar. = I arrived early at the station, I had to wait.

Llegué a la estación temprano, tuve que esperar.

Verbs ending -car change their spelling into -qu.

-car (sacar - to take out)	-gu (yo saqué - I took out)
-car (practicar - to practise)	-gu (yo practiqué - I practised)
-car (tocar - to play, to touch)	-qu (yo toqué - I played)
-car (buscar - to look for)	-gu (yo busqué - I looked for)

Ayer busqué mi anillo toda la tarde. = I looked for my ring all afternoon yesterday.

Ayer busqué mi anillo toda la tarde.

Verbs ending -zar change spelling into -cé.

-zar (avanzar - to progress, to move forward)	-ce (yo avancé - I progressed)
-zar (cruzar - to cross)	-gu (yo crucé - I crossed)
-zar (almorzar - to have lunch)	-gu (yo almorcé - I had lunch)
-zar (empezar - to start)	-gu (yo empecé - I started)

El lunes almorcé con mi socio. = I had lunch with my partner on Monday.

El lunes almorcé con mi socio.

Verbs containing a vowel just before the infinitive ending, change the "i" into "y" in the 3rd person (singular and plural).

oír (to hear)	él, ella oyó usted oyó	ellos, ellas oyeron ustedes oyeron
caer (to fall)	él, ella cayó usted cayó	ellos, ellas cayeron ustedes cayeron
leer (to read)	él, ella leyó usted leyó	ellos, ellas leyeron ustedes leyeron
creer (to believe)	él, ella creyó usted creyó	ellos, ellas creyeron ustedes creyeron
poseer (to possess)	él, ella poseyó usted poseyó	ellos, ellas poseyeron ustedes poseyeron

Verbs ending "-uir" change the "i" into "y" in the third person (singular and plural)

construir (to construct)	él, ella construyó usted construyó	ellos,ellas construyeron ustedes construyeron
concluir (to conclude)	él, ella concluyó usted concluyó	ellos,ellas concluyeron ustedes concluyeron
contribuir (to contribute)	él, ella contribuyó usted contribuyó	ellos,ellas contribuyeron ustedes contribuyeron

Summary:

Preterite is one of Spanish past tenses that describes activities completed in the past and activities that are no longer in effect.
There is no universal rule for conjugations of the irregular verbs, they have to be memorized.
AR and ER verbs with stem change in the present tense do not change the stem vowel in preterite.
IR verbs with stem change, change stem vowel only in the 3rd person singular and plural.
Certain verbs have to change their spelling in the 1st person singular to maintain the same pronunciation.
Verbs having a vowel preceding their infinitive ending, change the preterite ending "i" in the third person to "y".