Pretérito
Forming the pretérito with regular verbs.
-AR verbs:
1. Start with the infinitive
Caminar- "To Walk"
2. Remove the -ar
Camin
3. Add the -ar verb endings
| yo | caminé | nosotros | caminamos |
| tú | caminaste | vosotros | caminasteis |
| él, ella, Ud. | caminó | ellos, ellas, Uds. | caminaron |
-ER verbs:
1. Start with the infinitive
Aprender- "To Learn"
2. Remove the -er
Aprend
3. Add the -er verb endings
| yo | aprendí | nosotros | aprendemos |
| tú | aprendiste | vosotros | aprendisteis |
| él, ella, Ud. | aprendió | ellos, ellas, Uds. | aprendieron |
-IR verbs:
1. Start with the infinitive
Decidir- "To Decide"
2. Remove the -ir
Decid
3. Add the -ir verb endings
| yo | decidí | nosotros | decidimos |
| tú | decidiste | vosotros | decidisteis |
| él, ella, Ud. | decidió | ellos, ellas, Uds. | decidieron |
Some Notes:
Did you see how the nosotros forms of pretérito verbs are the same as the present tense? How can you tell the difference between the two? Context is the only way to distinguish if the writer is using past or present tense. Look for words like: "yesterday", "last year", or other words that talk about the past. Also, paragraphs will tend to use the same tense throughout. If the rest of the sentences are past tense, there is a good chance the other one is too.
Related Lessons:
Irregular Pretérito Verbs
Spanish Grammar Quick Reference Guide