Regular Preterite 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.