In the preterite tense, regular -er and -ir verbs share the exact same endings.
Conjugating regular -er and -ir verbs
To form the preterite, drop the -er or -ir ending from the infinitive and add these endings:
| Subject | Ending | Example (aprender) | Example (salir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -í | aprendí | salí |
| tú | -iste | aprendiste | saliste |
| él, ella, usted | -ió | aprendió | salió |
| nosotros/as | -imos | aprendimos | salimos |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | -ieron | aprendieron | salieron |
Remember to include the accent marks on the yo and él/ella/usted forms.
| What a beautiful show! I discovered the fair with you. | ¡Qué bonito espectáculo! Descubrí la feria contigo. |
| Did you eat anything at the fair yesterday? | ¿Comiste algo en la feria ayer? |
| The actor went out to the stage in his costume. | El actor salió al escenario con su disfraz. |
| They sold a very cheap costume at the parade. | Vendieron un disfraz muy barato en el desfile. |
The nosotros form
The nosotros ending is -imos for both verb groups.
For -ir verbs (like salir or descubrir), the preterite and present tense forms are exactly the same (salimos). Context clues will tell you if the action is happening now or in the past.
For -er verbs (like beber or aprender), the ending changes from -emos in the present to -imos in the past.
| We drank a lot of water at the parade. | Bebimos mucha agua en el desfile. |
| We learned the dance at the fair. | Aprendimos el baile en la feria. |
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