El Pretérito Indefinido for completed actions
We use El Pretérito Indefinido for completed actions in the past.
It can refer to a single action or actions that happened more than once.
The example above shows a single action that takes place in the past.
The example above shows an action that took place several times in the past.
But in both examples the actions are completed. They are no longer taking place.
There are some time phrases that will generally trigger the use of El Pretérito Indefinido
Here are some:
- El año pasado
- El otro día
- Ayer
- Anoche
- El mes pasado
- Hace 3 días
- El verano pasado
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Examples and resources
Using the preterite tense in Spanish for completed actions in the past
This one needs fixed. i selected -aron - i wouldn't select imperfect for "completed in the past"
El ano pasado ustedes _______ los examenes
it said i selected aprobaban but I selected aprobaron - so there is some problem with the question/answer key.
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Saludos
Silvia
This one needs fixed. i selected -aron - i wouldn't select imperfect for "completed in the past"
El ano pasado ustedes _______ los examenes
it said i selected aprobaban but I selected aprobaron - so there is some problem with the question/answer key.
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El otro día me llamó mi abuela tres veces
Hola,
Would the sentence above still make sense in Spanish if it were reordered thus:
El otro día mi abuela me llamó tres veces.
Saludos,
Colin
Hola Colin
Yes, you can play with the order a bit. That would also be correct. Spanish is quite flexible in terms of order. We have an article here talking about that. Have a look.
Saludos
Inma
El otro día me llamó mi abuela tres veces
Hola,
Would the sentence above still make sense in Spanish if it were reordered thus:
El otro día mi abuela me llamó tres veces.
Saludos,
Colin
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Hace cinco años tú ________ en Italia.
Hola Wyq
You are right. Vivías could also be correct here if you consider it an ongoing action. We will add a hint so it is clear we refer to a completed action in the past, to avoid confusion.
Gracias
Inma
Hace cinco años tú ________ en Italia.
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