Regular Preterite Conjugation of -ER and -IR Verbs in Spanish

What are the specific patterns for the preterite (past tense) conjugation of -ER and -IR verbs in Spanish?

The preterite (past tense) conjugation of -ER and -IR verbs in Spanish follows specific patterns. Regular -ER and -IR verbs have different endings depending on the subject. Irregular verbs, however, do not follow the same patterns.

Regular -ER Verbs:

To conjugate regular -ER verbs in the preterite, you need to remove the -ER ending and add the appropriate endings:

  • yo: -í
  • tú: -iste
  • él/ella/usted: -ió
  • nosotros/nosotras: -imos
  • vosotros/vosotras: -isteis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ieron

Regular -IR Verbs:

The endings for regular -IR verbs in the preterite are the same as -ER verbs, except for the third person singular and plural, which have accents.

Examples:

1. Comer (to eat):

  • yo: comí
  • tú: comiste
  • él/ella: comió
  • nosotros/nosotras: comimos
  • vosotros/vosotras: comisteis
  • ellos/ellas: comieron

2. Vivir (to live):

  • yo: viví
  • tú: viviste
  • él/ella: vivió
  • nosotros/nosotras: vivimos
  • vosotros/vosotras: vivisteis
  • ellos/ellas: vivieron

It's important to note that there are irregular verbs in the preterite that do not follow these patterns.

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