Spanish
Grade 8
15 min
¿Qué Hiciste Ayer?: What Did You Do Yesterday?
Practice using the preterite tense to talk about what you did yesterday.
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify and apply the correct preterite conjugations for regular -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in travel contexts.
Accurately conjugate and use common irregular preterite verbs (e.g., ir, ser, hacer, ver, dar) when describing past travel experiences.
Formulate and respond to questions about past actions and events that occurred during a trip using the preterite tense.
Describe a sequence of past actions related to planning or experiencing a trip using appropriate preterite verbs and transition words.
Differentiate between the preterite and imperfect tenses when recounting specific, completed actions versus ongoing or habitual actions during a trip.
Utilize a range of travel-related vocabulary to enhance descriptions of past trips and activities.
¡Imagina que a...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Preterite Tense (El Pretérito)A past tense in Spanish used to describe actions that were completed at a specific point in the past. Think of it as telling a story of what 'happened' or 'did happen'.Yo *viajé* a México el año pasado. (I traveled to Mexico last year.)
Regular -AR Verbs (Preterite)Verbs ending in -ar that follow a predictable pattern for preterite conjugation, indicating a completed action.Ellos *compraron* los boletos de avión. (They bought the plane tickets.)
Regular -ER/-IR Verbs (Preterite)Verbs ending in -er or -ir that follow a predictable pattern for preterite conjugation, indicating a completed action.Nosotros *comimos* paella y *vivimos* una aventura. (We ate paella and lived an adventure.)
Irregular Preterite VerbsVerbs tha...
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Grammar Rules & Patterns
Regular -AR Preterite Endings
-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron
Attach these endings to the stem of regular -AR verbs (e.g., hablar -> habl-) to describe completed actions in the past. Remember the accent marks on the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Regular -ER/-IR Preterite Endings
-í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron
Attach these endings to the stem of regular -ER and -IR verbs (e.g., comer -> com-, vivir -> viv-) to describe completed actions in the past. Remember the accent marks on the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms.
Common Irregular Preterite Verbs (ir/ser, hacer)
ir/ser: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
hacer: hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron
These verbs are highly irregular and m...
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Challenging
The verb 'dormir' has a stem change in the preterite tense only in the 3rd person forms. Which sentence correctly uses this rule?
A.Yo dormí mucho en el hotel.
B.Tú dormiste en el avión.
C.El bebé durmió durante todo el viaje.
D.Nosotros dormimos en una tienda de campaña.
Challenging
Read the following dialogue:
Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer?
Carlos: Fui al aeropuerto. Compré mi boleto y después abordé el avión.
What is the last thing Carlos did?
A.Abordó el avión.
B.Fue al aeropuerto.
C.Habló con Ana.
D.Compró su boleto.
Challenging
Read the dialogue:
Marco: ¿Hiciste la reservación para el hotel?
Sofía: Sí, la hice ayer por la mañana. También compré los boletos de avión.
Based on the dialogue, what did Sofía do yesterday morning?
A.She went to the airport.
B.She bought the plane tickets.
C.She made the hotel reservation.
D.She spoke with Marco.
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