# 25. Past Tense for Regular Verbs (Preterite)

> Source: [video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=6185s)

The preterite (past simple) is formed by dropping the verb ending and adding preterite endings. `-er` and `-ir` verbs share the same endings — convenient! The yo and él/ella forms carry written accents.

## Key Rules
- Drop the infinitive ending (`-ar`, `-er`, `-ir`) and add the preterite ending.
- `-er` and `-ir` verbs share identical preterite endings.
- Yo and él/ella forms carry **written accents** on the final vowel: `hablé`, `habló`, `comí`, `comió`.
- The **nosotros** form of `-ar` and `-ir` verbs is **identical to the present** — context (especially time markers like `ayer`) tells them apart.

## Conjugation / Pattern Tables

### Preterite endings
| Pronoun | -ar | -er / -ir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | -í |
| tú | -aste | -iste |
| él/ella | -ó | -ió |
| nosotros | -amos | -imos |
| vosotros | -asteis | -isteis |
| ellos | -aron | -ieron |

### hablar — to speak (preterite)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | hablé |
| tú | hablaste |
| él/ella | habló |
| nosotros | hablamos |
| vosotros | hablasteis |
| ellos | hablaron |

### comer — to eat (preterite)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comí |
| tú | comiste |
| él/ella | comió |
| nosotros | comimos |
| vosotros | comisteis |
| ellos | comieron |

### vivir — to live (preterite)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | viví |
| tú | viviste |
| él/ella | vivió |
| nosotros | vivimos |
| vosotros | vivisteis |
| ellos | vivieron |

## Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hablamos contigo ahora. | We speak with you now. (present) |
| Hablamos con ellos ayer. | We spoke with them yesterday. (preterite) |
| Vivimos en Las Vegas ahora. | We live in Las Vegas now. (present) |
| Vivimos en Los Ángeles hace un año. | We lived in Los Angeles a year ago. (preterite) |
| Yo comí pizza anoche. | I ate pizza last night. |
| Ella escribió una carta. | She wrote a letter. |
| Ellos trabajaron mucho. | They worked a lot. |

## Notes & Gotchas
- The preterite describes **completed** actions in the past.
- Look for time keywords to disambiguate `nosotros` forms: `ayer`, `anoche`, `hace [time]`, `el año pasado`.
- Accents matter: `hablo` (I speak, present) vs `habló` (he spoke, preterite).
- This chapter covers regular verbs only — `ser`, `ir`, and many other irregulars are coming.
