Conjugate regular -ar verbs in the preterite tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Indefinido)

All regular -ar verbs are conjugated in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish using the same pattern.

Learn how to conjugate regular -ar verbs in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish

They keep the stem and replace -ar with the following endings:

yo -é
-aste
él / ella / Ud. 
-ó
nosotros / nosotras 
-amos
vosotros / vosotras   
-asteis
ellos / ellas / Uds.   
-aron

Have a look at this table with examples:

REGULAR -AR VERBS
CANTAR

to  sing

TRABAJAR

to  work

HABLAR

to talk / to speak
yo canté trabajé hablé
  cantaste 
trabajaste
hablaste

él / ella/ usted

cantó trabajó habló
nosotros / nosotras

cantamos 
trabajamos hablamos
vosotros/ vosotras

cantasteis 

trabajasteis

hablasteis
ellos / ellas/ ustedes cantaron 
trabajaron hablaron


Note
that all the regular -ar verbs follow the same pattern in El Pretérito Indefinido:

  • Remove -ar
  • Add the following endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron

Here are some examples to listen to:

Yo hablé con el médico ayer.I talked to the doctor yesterday.

¿Ayudaste a tu madre?Did you help your mother? [you = tú]

Ella desayunó en una cafetería.She had her breakfast in a café.

Nosotros solucionamos el problema.We solved the problem.

Vosotros viajasteis a Roma.You traveled to Rome.

Ellas trabajaron hasta tarde ayer.They worked late yesterday.

Ustedes cantaron muy bien en la fiesta.You sang very well at the party.

You may have noticed that the "nosotros" form of the preterite for regular -ar verbs, e.g. hablar, coincides with the "nosotros" form of the present tense for regular -ar verbs:

Hablamos con María el otro día.
We spoke with Maria the other day. (preterite)

Hablamos con María todos los días.
We speak with Maria every day. (present)

So, it's often necessary to read the context to realize if it's referring to a present or a past action.

See more verbs following this pattern in: List of Spanish regular -ar verbs

See also:

 

Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

Examples and resources

Nosotros solucionamos el problema.We solved the problem.
Vosotros viajasteis a Roma.You traveled to Rome.
Ellas trabajaron hasta tarde ayer.They worked late yesterday.
Ella desayunó en una cafetería.She had her breakfast in a café.
Yo hablé con el médico ayer.I talked to the doctor yesterday.
Ella habló ayer con su jefe.She spoke with her boss yesterday.
Ustedes cantaron muy bien en la fiesta.You sang very well at the party.
¿Ayudaste a tu madre?Did you help your mother? [you = tú]
El perro ladró.The dog barked.
Julia compró un bolso.Julia bought a handbag.
I'll be right with you...