Uses of the Preterite
Spanish: Cambridge International GCSE, topic 8.4.1
Uses of the Preterite Tense
A finished one-time action
- Fernando compró un nuevo coche.
- Fernando bought a new car.
- Nací en Inglaterra.
- I was born in England.
‘Ayer, la semana pasada, hace un año’
- España ganó la Copa del Mundo en 2010.
- Spain won the world cup in 2010.
- Henry nació el cinco de julio.
- Henry was born on the 5th of July.
A finished period of time
- Vivieron en Australia durante seis meses.
- They lived in Australia for six months.
- Leí este libro el año pasado.
- I read this book last year.
Events in order, a sequence of actions
- Me vestí y salí a dar una vuelta.
- I got dressed and went for a walk.
- Entró, bebió una cerveza y comió un pedazo de pan.
- He came in, drank a beer and ate a piece of bread.
Past events in a story
- Llegó a la playa y puso su toalla en la arena.
- She arrived at the beach and put her towel on the sand.
Start and end of events
- Empezó a llover.
- It began to rain.
- La novela terminó con un final cómico.
- The book ended with a comic end.
Test yourself on Uses of the Preterite
Which of the following sentences is correct?