Regular Preterite Conjugation of -ER and -IR Verbs in Spanish

The preterite (past tense) conjugation of -ER and -IR verbs in Spanish follows specific patterns. Regular -ER and -IR verbs have different endings depending on the subject. Irregular verbs, however, do not follow the same patterns.

Regular -ER Verbs:

To conjugate regular -ER verbs in the preterite, you need to remove the -ER ending and add the appropriate endings:

• yo: -í
• tú: -iste
• él/ella/usted: -ió
• nosotros/nosotras: -imos
• vosotros/vosotras: -isteis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ieron

Regular -IR Verbs:

The endings for regular -IR verbs in the preterite are the same as -ER verbs, except for the third person singular and plural, which have accents.

Examples:

1. Comer (to eat):

• yo: comí
• tú: comiste
• él/ella: comió
• nosotros/nosotras: comimos
• vosotros/vosotras: comisteis
• ellos/ellas: comieron

2. Vivir (to live):

• yo: viví
• tú: viviste
• él/ella: vivió
• nosotros/nosotras: vivimos
• vosotros/vosotras: vivisteis
• ellos/ellas: vivieron

It's important to note that there are irregular verbs in the preterite that do not follow these patterns.