SPA112 preterit...again

Ok, so all classes will be working with the preterit... the past tense.

Remember, there are three types of infinitives: -ar, -er, -ir. Infinitives are made up of two parts: the ending and the stem. You already know how to conjugate verbs in the present tense, so the actual conjugation in the preterit should be easy.
In Spanish there are two way to discuss the past: the preterit and the imperfect. We are going to learn the preterit and it's uses first:

· For actions that can be viewed as single events
Last week it rained.

· For actions that were repeated a specific number of times
Last week it rained on Monday, on Tuesday, and on Wednesday.
· For actions that occurred during a specific period of time
Last week it rained for 5hrs.

· For actions that were part of a chain of events
I woke up, I got dressed, I ate breakfast, and I left for school.

· To state the beginning or the end of an action
It started raining at 5am. It stopped raining at noon.

Preterit Conjugations
-ar verbs

-er verbs and -ir verbs

Stem change verbs...
Remember last chapter when we studied stem change verbs e-ie; o-ue; and e-i... well that was the conjugation of the verbs in the present, now that's look at those same verbs in the preterit.

GOOD NEWS:  -ar and -er verbs that change their stem in the present tense do not change in the preterite. They are conjugated just like other regular preterite verbs, using the regular endings.

Cerrar (e-ie) - to close
The store closes at 5.    La tienda cierra a las cinco.
The store closed at 5.    La tienda cerró a las cinco.

Recordar (o-ue) - to remember
I remember your name.         Recuerdo tu nombre.
I remembered your name.     Recordé tu nombre.

BAD NEWS: -ir verbs that change their stem in the present tense DO change in the preterite, but in a different way. They change e:i and o:u in the third person, singular and plural.

Preferir (e-ie) - to prefer
I prefer to eat chicken and she prefers to eat turkey.        Prefiero comer el pollo y ella prefiere el pavo.
I prefered to eat chicken and she preferred turkey.          Preferí comer el pollo y ella prefirió el pavo.


Dormir (o-ue) - to sleep
I sleep a little and he sleeps a lot.                        Duermo un poco y él duerme mucho.
Last night I slept a little and he slept a lot.     Anoche dormí un poco y él durmió mucho.

Hope this helps...