We explain what the past tense is and how each of the past tenses is conjugated in the indicative mood in Spanish.
What is the past tense?
By the word “pretérito” is understood in Spanish what belongs to the past, meaning that comes from its Latin origins: the word praeteritus, derived from the verb praeterire, which translates to “pass by” or “leave behind.” Figuratively, the past became that which has been left behind in time.
However, the main contemporary use of the word past is as an adjective, precisely as a synonym for past: “past times” is a way of referring to past times. On the other hand, it is a very rarely used word in colloquial language and is regularly reserved for literary works.
However, it is a very common word in Castilian grammar: it is used to name the verb tenses of the past, that is, they describe actions that occurred prior to the moment of enunciation. Thus, it is possible to speak of the following past tenses of the indicative:
- Simple past perfect, also known as indefinite past, absolute past, simple past or only as past tense, is a verb tense that expresses an action that occurred in time, that is, already finished at the moment in which it is spoken. It is the verb tense that is used when we relate something to advance the story, and it contrasts with the past imperfect.
The regular conjugation of this verb tense in Spanish is as follows:
| Verbs ending in -ar (to sing) | Verbs ending in -er (to drink) | Verbs ending in -ir (to start) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I cant-and | I baby-í | I part-í |
| 2nd person singular | you cant-aste | you baby-you are | you part-you are |
| 3rd person singular | he / she singsor | he / she baby-io | he / she part-io |
| 1st person plural | we cant-masters | we baby-go | we part-go |
| 2nd person plural | you cant-Aron | you baby-they went | you part-they went |
| 3rd person plural | they will singAron | they will be drinkingthey went | they part-they went |
Instead, the irregular conjugation is as follows:
| Verbs ending in -er (put) | Verbs ending in -ir (to sleep) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I put-and | I sleep-í |
| 2nd person singular | you pus-you are | you sleep-you are |
| 3rd person singular | he / she pus-or | he / she sleptio |
| 1st person plural | we pus-go | we sleepgo |
| 2nd person plural | you p-they went | you slept-they went |
| 3rd person plural | they willthey went | they are sleepingthey went |
- Imperfect past, also called copreterite, is a verb tense that describes an action carried out in the past, but whose temporal limits are undefined, or not relevant, or have not concluded.
The regular conjugation of this verb tense in Spanish is as follows:
| Verbs ending in -ar (to sing) | Verbs ending in -er (to drink) | Verbs ending in -ir (to start) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I cant-aba | I baby-ía | I part-ía |
| 2nd person singular | you cant-abas | you baby-days | you part-days |
| 3rd person singular | he / she singsaba | he / she baby-ía | he / she part-ía |
| 1st person plural | we cant-let’s go | we baby-we were going | we part-we were going |
| 2nd person plural | you cant-aban | you baby-they went | you part-they went |
| 3rd person plural | they will singaban | they will be drinkingthey went | they part-they went |
- Past perfect compound, a variant of the past perfect that uses the verb to have as an auxiliary, for example: “I have sung”, “you have drunk” or “we have parted”. As will be seen, the auxiliary and the secondary verb are conjugated in the participle, and this verb tense is used for actions that have occurred, but more remote in time than the simple perfect, or with a certain margin of imprecision regarding whether they are finite actions or no.
- Past perfectAs in the previous case, this verb tense is the compound version of the past imperfect, applying to the auxiliary “there” a similar logic, for example: “I had sung”, “you had drunk” or “we had parted”. The auxiliary in the past imperfect and the secondary verb in the participle. This verb tense is used to describe past actions, finished, and previous to another also past. For example: “when you arrived, I already had sung”.
- Past perfect, the last of the compound past tenses, is a disused form in the colloquial language of Spanish, being replaced by the pluperfect in almost all its cases. It is used to describe a past action, but immediately after another remote action in time. For example: “Maria left as soon as it was over to eat”.