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Video lesson

Pretérito indefinido

Duration: 4:37 Published: 5 May 2017

This lesson explains the pretérito indefinido, also called pretérito perfecto simple: the tense used to talk about finished actions in a finished period of time.

Learn the use of this verb tense in Spanish with this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

  • It expresses completed actions in a finished time: Ayer fui al cine. En 2010 viví en Roma.
  • Typical time expressions: ayer, anoche, el lunes pasado, el año pasado, hace dos días, en 2015.
  • Regular endings: -ar: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron; -er and -ir: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
  • Very frequent irregular verbs: ser and ir (fui), estar (estuve), tener (tuve), hacer (hice).

Frequent doubts

Indefinido or pretérito perfecto?

In Spain, use the perfecto for a time that is not over (hoy, esta semana: he comido) and the indefinido for a finished time (ayer, el año pasado: comí).

Why is fui the past of both ser and ir?

Ser and ir share the same forms in the indefinido: fui, fuiste, fue… The context tells you which one it is: Fui a Madrid (ir), Fue un día estupendo (ser).

Does the indefinido have written accents?

Yes, in the first and third person singular of regular verbs: hablé, habló, comí, comió. Irregular forms such as tuve or hizo have no accent.

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