Using the preterite tense in Spanish for completed actions in the past

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:

Read and listen to these other examples:

See also El Pretérito Indefinido