The preterite tense is used to refer to actions that occurred at a fixed point in time.
I called at 1:00.
Llamé a la una.
The preterite tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that were performed a specific number of times.
I called you twice.
Te llamé dos veces.
The preterite tense is also used to refer to actions that occurred during a specific enclosed period of time.
He lived there for 5 years.
Él vivió allí por cinco años.
The preterite is also used for actions that are part of a chain of events.
I bought a hat, sat down on a bench and fell asleep.
Compré un sombrero, me senté en un banco y me dormí.
The preterite is also used for sudden changes of mood, feelings or opinions.
At that moment, I was not afraid.
En ese momento, no tuve miedo.
The preterite is frequently associated with phrases that pinpoint a particular occasion or specific time frame.
ayer= yesterday
ayer por la mañana = yesterday morning
ayer por la tarde = yesterday afternoon
anteayer = the day before yesterday
anochelast = night
desde el primer momento = from the first moment
después = afterwards
durante dos siglos = for two centuries
el año pasado = last yearel
lunes por la noche = Monday night
el mes pasado = last monthel
otro día = the other day
en ese momento = at that moment
entonces = then
esta mañana = this morning
esta tarde = this afternoon
hace dos días , años = two days, years ago
la semana pasada = last week
If the action is in the past, and you can determine precisely when it occurred, or how many times it occurred, then you will use the preterite.
Regular forms of the preterite are formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:
-ar verbs
example: hablar
é
aste
ó
amos
asteis
aron
hablé
hablaste
habló
hablamos
hablasteis
hablaron
-er verbs, -ir verbs
examples: comer, vivir
í
iste
ió
imos
isteis
ieron
comí
comiste
comió
comimos
comisteis
comieron
viví
viviste
vivió
vivimos
vivisteis
vivieron
From: www.studyspanish.com
