The preterite tense
To talk about completed actions in the finished past, use the preterite tense (el pretérito indefinido). It is the equivalent of the simple past tense in English (like "I spoke" or "he sent"). You will frequently use it with time markers like ayer (yesterday).
To form the preterite of a regular -ar verb, drop the -ar ending from the infinitive and add the appropriate past tense endings.
The yo form (-é)
To say that you (I) did something, drop the -ar and add -é.
The accent mark on the é is absolutely essential—it tells the listener that the action happened in the past and puts the vocal stress on the final syllable.
| Yesterday I spoke with the employee. | Ayer hablé con el empleado. |
| I bought a white envelope. | Compré un sobre blanco. |
| I left the package on the counter for the employee. | Dejé el paquete en el mostrador para la empleada. |
The él/ella/usted form (-ó)
To say that he, she, or you (formal) did something, drop the -ar and add -ó.
Again, the accent mark on the ó is critical. Without it, a word like mandó (he/she sent) becomes mando (I send).
| What did the girl send? | ¿Qué mandó la chica? |
| The boy weighed the envelope. | El chico pesó el sobre. |
| He prepared the blue form. | Él preparó el formulario azul. |
Contrasting the subjects
When running errands, like filling out forms or mailing packages, pay close attention to whether the ending is -é or -ó to know exactly who performed the action.
| I filled out the form with my pen. | Rellené el formulario con mi bolígrafo. |
| My father filled out the document. | Mi padre rellenó el documento. |
| I stamped the letter and sent it. | Sellé la carta y la mandé. |
| The employee stamped the envelope. | El empleado selló el sobre. |
