To talk about actions that were completed inthe past, use the preterite tense. To form thepreterite tense of a regular verb, add thepreterite endings to the stem of the verb.

Preterite of regular verbs

Preterite of regular verbs

Note that -ar and -er verbs that have a stemchange in the present tense do not have astem change in the preterite.

Generalmente me pruebo la ropa antes decomprarla, pero ayer no me probé los pantalonesque compré.

Preterite of regular verbs

Ver has regular preterite endings, but unlikethose of other verbs, they have no writtenaccent marks.

Anoche, David vio una camisa que le gustó mucho.

Preterite of regular verbs

Verbs that end in -car, -gar, and -zar have aspelling change in the yo form of the preterite.

buscar c qu yo busquépagar g gu yo paguéalmorzar z c yo almorcé

¿Pagaste mucho por tu suéter nuevo?No, no pagué mucho. Lo encontré en una liquidación.

Preterite of regular verbs

To point out something or someone that is far from bothyou and the person you are speaking to, you use a form ofaquel, which means “that one over there.”

Here’s a chart that compares the three demonstrativeadjectives and their meanings.

Demonstrative adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives

All demonstrative adjectives come beforethe noun and agree with the noun in gender(masculine or feminine) and number (singularor plural).

Demonstrative adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives

When you are comparing two similar things, you can avoid repetition by dropping the noun and using an article with an adjective:

¿Cuál prefieres, la sudadera apretada o la floja? Which do you prefer, the tight sweatshirt or the loose one?

Prefiero la floja. I prefer the loose one.

Using adjectives as nouns

You can also do this with expressions that use de:

¿Compraste una chaqueta de lana o una de cuero? Did you buy a wool jacket or a leather one?

¿Prefieres el abrigo de Paco o el de Juan? Do you prefer Paco’s coat or Juan’s?

Using adjectives as nouns