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*In this chapter you will learn about the preterit, one of two simple past tenses in Spanish.

*The preterit tense is used to express:

*An action that is terminated or completed at a given point in the past

*An action or state that occupies a limited period of time

*An action with a specific and indicated beginning or ending

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*1. An action that is terminated or completed.Me casé en 1981.

Alfredo salió para España ayer.

*2. An action or state that occupies a limited period of time.

Lorena estudió por dos horas.Llovió todo el día.

*An action with a specific and indicated beginning or ending.

El concierto comenzó a las siete.

Empecé a trabajar en el proyecto ayer.

V

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-ar -er/-ir

-é -amos -í -imos

-aste x -iste x

-ó -aron -ió -ieron

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*Just as with present tense verbs, we always start with the stem of the verb.

*The first-person plural, or nosotros, form of -ar verbs is the same in the preterit as in the present tense. This does not normally cause confusion since context usually clarifies the meaning.

*-ir verbs conjugate exactly like -er verbs.

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Hablar trabajar escribir creer

Comer escuchar recibir examinar

Necesitar tomar vivir abrir

Mirar cantar subir recetar

Comprar preparar pasar esquiar

Usar aprender gustar

llevar

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*Verbs that end in -car, -gar, and –zar

*Verbs that end in -car, -gar, and -zar have the following spelling changes in the first-person singular (yo form)of the preterit. All other forms of these verbs are conjugated regularly.

*c qu Example: buscar

Busqué buscamosbuscaste xbuscó buscaron

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*g gu Example: llegar

Llegué llegamosllegaste xllegó llegaron

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*z c Example: almorzar

Almorcé almorzamos

Almorzaste x

Almorzó almorzaron

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*Explicar

*Practicar

*Tocar

*Jugar

*Pagar

*empezar

*Abrazar

*rezar

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