Yesterday

How to use the preterite tense in Spanish (hablé, comí, viví)

Tell someone what you did yesterday — the past tense, spoken in real conversation.

GRAMMAR PACK · 6 LESSONS · A2

The preterite is the tense for completed past events — what you did yesterday, last night, last week. Regular -AR verbs take -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -aron (hablé, hablaste, habló); -ER and -IR verbs share -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -ieron (comí, vivió, comieron) — and the written accents are not decoration, because hablé (I spoke) and habló (she spoke) are different people, while hablo is the present. Three spelling changes hit only the yo form: -car → busqué, -gar → llegué, -zar → empecé. Anchor it all with time markers: ayer, anoche, la semana pasada, hace dos días.

Below: the endings in real sentences, what locals actually say (chambeé, la pasé bárbaro), the slips that expose learners — and a way to practice by telling Carla about your day, not by conjugating tables.

Say this

The phrases that carry the conversation

-AR preterite conjugation

Yo hablé con mi mamá ayer.I talked to my mom yesterday.
¿Tú hablaste con el profesor?Did you talk to the teacher?
Ella habló en la reunión.She spoke at the meeting.
Nosotros hablamos por teléfono.We talked on the phone.

-ER/-IR preterite conjugation

Yo comí pizza anoche.I ate pizza last night.
¿Tú viviste en España?Did you live in Spain?
Él comió demasiado.He ate too much.
Nosotros vivimos allí dos años.We lived there for two years.

Past time markers

Ayer estudié mucho.Yesterday I studied a lot.
Anoche miré una película.Last night I watched a movie.
La semana pasada viajé a Barcelona.Last week I traveled to Barcelona.
El año pasado aprendí a cocinar.Last year I learned to cook.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Méx: 'ayer chambeé todo el día' (chambear = to work, coloquial)
Arg: 'anoche la pasé bárbaro' (la pasé = I had a time)
Coloquial: 'ya cené, gracias' (preterite for completed action)
Méx: 'me eché un taquito al rato' (echarse = to grab a quick one)
Caribe: 'me gocé la fiesta anoche' (gozarse = to enjoy)
Arg: 'manejé como loco hasta llegar' (manejar = to drive)
Méx: 'ya comí, gracias' (preterite directo en lugar de present perfect)
Arg: 'salí temprano del laburo' (laburo = work)
Coloquial: '¿viste lo que pasó?' (viste = informal LatAm marker)
Méx: 'me bebí toda la chela' (chela = beer)

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

Confusing -AR and -ER/-IR endings (hablé vs comí)-AR preterite uses -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -aron; -ER/-IR uses -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -ieron
Forgetting the accent marks on yo and él/ella formsAlways write hablé (not hable) and habló (not hablo) — the accent changes meaning
Not recognizing that nosotros -AR preterite looks like present tenseHablamos can be present or past — use time markers (ayer hablamos) to clarify

The part no drill site can do

No flashcards. You learn it by using it

Carla

Your grammar teacher for this pack

Nothing here is memorized in isolation — in the Yesterday lessons the past tense shows up the way it does in life: someone asks about your day. Carla has you walk through yesterday in order — primero desayuné, luego salí, después caminé al parque — then fires the questions people actually ask: ¿qué comiste?, and you answer comí una ensalada. When a busqué or a llegué comes out wrong, she catches it in the flow — no red ink, no drills, just another chance to say it right.

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 6 lessons and Yesterday is yours — earned, not given.

First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What are the preterite endings for regular verbs?

-AR verbs: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -aron (hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablaron). -ER and -IR verbs share one set: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -ieron (comí, viviste, comió, vivimos, comieron).

Why is it 'llegué' and not 'llegé'?

The u keeps the g sounding hard. It's a yo-form-only spelling change: -gar → llegué, pagué; -car → busqué, toqué; -zar → empecé, almorcé. Every other person of those verbs is completely regular.

What's the difference between the preterite and the imperfect?

The preterite is for completed, one-time events: hablé con mi mamá ayer — it happened, it's done. The imperfect is for habits, descriptions, and background. Did = preterite; used to do / was doing = imperfect.

How do you say 'yesterday' and 'last night' in Spanish?

Ayer and anoche: ayer estudié mucho, anoche miré una película. Also useful: la semana pasada (last week), el año pasado (last year), hace dos días (two days ago). In Mexico you'll often hear ayer en la noche instead of anoche.

Is 'hablamos' present or past?

Both — the nosotros form of -AR verbs is identical in the present and the preterite. A time marker settles it instantly: ayer hablamos can only be the past.