Shared Past Endings for -ER

Think of a verb like a Lego set.

You have the base (the stem) and the connector (the ending).

For -er verbs, the ending tells us who did the action.

In the past, we swap the -er for a new set of endings.

These endings tell your listener that the action is 100% done.

It is not happening now, and it is not a habit.

It happened once, it finished, and we moved on.

It is like closing a book after the last chapter.

You just need to memorize six specific endings for each person.

Once you do, you can conjugate hundreds of different verbs.

Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes, so stay patient!

1. 1To build these verbs, follow these three simple steps:
2. 2Take your infinitive verb, like comer (to eat).
3. 3Remove the -er from the end to find the stem: com-.
4. 4Add the past tense ending that matches your subject.
5. 5Here are the endings you need to memorize:
6. 6For yo (I), add -í.
7. 7For tú (you), add -iste.
8. 8For él/ella/usted (he/she/you formal), add -ió.
9. 9For nosotros (we), add -imos.
10. 10For vosotros (you all - Spain), add -isteis.
11. 11For ellos/ellas/ustedes (they/you all), add -ieron.
12. 12Notice the accents on the yo and él forms.
13. 13Those little marks are very important for your pronunciation.
14. 14Without them, you might be saying something completely different!

Use this tense when an action has a clear end.

Think of it like a single point on a timeline.

It is perfect for telling stories about your weekend.

• "I ate a salad for lunch."
• "We learned a lot in class yesterday."
• "They sold their old car last week."

Use it when you mention a specific time or date.

Words like ayer (yesterday) or anoche (last night) are big clues.

If you are ordering food and want to say you already paid, use this.

If you are in a job interview describing a past project, use this.

It is the 'action' tense of the Spanish language.

Do not use this for things you used to do regularly.

If you ate pizza every Sunday as a kid, use the Imperfect.

This tense is not for describing the weather in the past.

It is also not for describing how you were feeling for a long time.

If the action doesn't have a clear beginning or end, stop!

You are likely looking for a different past tense.

Think of it like a grammar traffic light.

Red light: Ongoing habits or descriptions (Don't use Preterite).

Green light: Specific, completed actions (Go for it!).

One big mistake is forgetting the accent marks.

Comió means "he ate," but comio isn't a word at all.

Another mistake is using -ar endings for -er verbs.

Don't say comé when you mean comí.

Your brain might want to use the -a sound, but resist it!

Many people also forget that -er and -ir share endings.

They try to invent new endings for -ir verbs.

Keep it simple: if it ends in -er or -ir, use these rules.

Also, watch out for the nosotros form.

In -ar verbs, the past and present look the same.

But for -er verbs, the past is -imos and the present is -emos.

Don't mix those up or your friends will think you're time-traveling!

Let’s compare -er verbs with -ar verbs in the past.

-ar verbs use endings like -é, -aste, and -ó.

-er verbs use -í, -iste, and -ió.

Notice how the -er endings love the letter "i".

Now, look at the present tense versus the past tense for -er.

Present: Yo como (I eat).

Past: Yo comí (I ate).

The difference is small but changes the whole meaning.

Finally, remember that -er and -ir are identical in the past.

Comer (to eat) and vivir (to live) follow the same pattern.

Comí and viví both use that strong -í ending.