Unit 2 Introduction

In this second Unit, we will have the opportunity to review some concepts from Unit I before we get into our new topic. We can start reviewing preterite verbs. After the review, we can start working on our new vocabulary words about el cyber cafe and un dia en el parque de diversiones. We will also work on the preterite of regular -er and -ir verbs and affirmative and negative words. In this Unit, we will learn to talk about technology, a series of events, say what you did, and speak about indefinite or negative situations. The last lesson of the Unit will be dedicated to exploring a Spanish-speaking culture and researching and comparing the culture with our own.

The preterit tense (el pretérito) is one of several past tenses in Spanish, and it is used to describe actions completed at one point in the past, or that lasted a specific amount of time in the past and are now completed. The preterit is not used to describe chronic or continuous actions in the past with no particular ending or beginning. The imperfect tense is used for these instances. The preterit can be used if the habitual action has a specific start and end.

Regular Preterit Forms

There are only two endings for regular preterit verbs, one for -ar verbs and one for both -er and ir verbs. Remove the infinitive ending and add the correct preterit ending depending on who the subject of the action is. Preterit Verb Endings

-ar verbs         -er and -ir verbs

yo               -é                 -í
tú -              aste           -iste
usted, él, ella           -ó                -ió

nosotros        -amos      -imos
vosotros      -asteis       -isteis
ustedes, ellos, ellas         -aron         -ieron

Note that the 1st and 3rd person singular have tildes (written accents) to differentiate them from present tense conjugations.

• Mandó una carta. (He/She sent a letter.)
• Mando una carta. (I send a letter.)
• Caminé con Miguel. (I walked with Miguel.)
• Camina con Miguel. (He walks with Miguel.)
  
  
  Also, the 1st person plural (nosotros) endings for -AR and -IR verbs are the same for preterit and present tenses. The tense must be deduced from the given context and words that signify the preterit.
  
  
• Siempre cocinamos paella los domingos. (We always cook paella on Sundays.)
• Ayer cocinamos paella para mi familia. (Yesterday, we cooked paella for my family.)