We explain what the past tense is and how each of the past tenses is conjugated in the indicative mood in Spanish.
What is the past tense?
By the word “past” is understood in Spanish that which belongs to the past, meaning that comes from its Latin origins: the word praeteritus, derived from verb praeterire, which translates to "pass by" or "leave behind." Figuratively, the past became that which has been left behind in the weather.
However, the main contemporary use of the word past is as adjective, just like synonymous past: "past times" is a way of referring to past times. On the other hand, it is a very little used word in colloquial language and is regularly reserved for literary works.
However, it is a very common word in the grammar Castilian: it is used to name the verb tenses of the past, that is, that describe actions that occurred prior to the moment of enunciation. Thus, it is possible to speak of the following past tenses of the indicative:
- Simple past perfect, also known as indefinite past, absolute past, simple past or just as past tense, is a verb tense that expresses an action that occurred in time, that is, already finished at the moment it is spoken. It is the verb tense that is used when we relate something to advance the story, and it contrasts with the past imperfect.
The conjugation regular of this verb tense in Spanish is the following:
| Verbs ending in -ar (to sing) | Verbs ending in -er (to drink) | Verbs ending in -ir (to start) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I sang | I drank | I left |
| 2nd person singular | you sang | you baby | you part-is |
| 3rd person singular | he / she sang | he / she drank | he / she left |
| 1st person plural | we sing | we drank | we parted |
| 2nd person plural | you cant-aron | you drank | you left |
| 3rd person plural | they sang | they drank | they left |
Instead, the conjugation irregular is the next:
| Verbs ending in -er (put) | Verbs ending in -ir (to sleep) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I put | I slept |
| 2nd person singular | you put | You slept |
| 3rd person singular | he / she pus-o | he / she slept |
| 1st person plural | We put | we sleep |
| 2nd person plural | you put | you slept |
| 3rd person plural | they were putting | they slept |
- Imperfect past, also called copreterite, is a verb tense that describes an action carried out in the past, but whose temporal limits are undefined, or not relevant, or have not concluded.
The regular conjugation of this verb tense in Spanish is as follows:
| Verbs ending in -ar (to sing) | Verbs ending in -er (to drink) | Verbs ending in -ir (to start) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | I sang | I drank | I left |
| 2nd person singular | you sang | you drank | you left |
| 3rd person singular | he / she sang | he / she drank | he / she left |
| 1st person plural | we were singing | we drank | we parted |
| 2nd person plural | you cant-aban | you drank | you left |
| 3rd person plural | they would sing | they drank | they were parting |
- Compound perfect past tense, a variant of the past perfect that uses the verb to have as an auxiliary, for example: “I have sung”, “you have drunk” or “we have parted”. As will be seen, the auxiliary and the secondary verb are conjugated in the participle, and this verb tense is used for actions that occurred, but more remote in time than the simple perfect, or with a certain margin of imprecision regarding whether they are finite actions or no.
- Past perfect, as in the previous case, this verb tense is the compound version of the past imperfect, applying to the auxiliary “there” a similar logic, for example: “I had sung”, “you had drunk” or “we had parted”. The auxiliary in the past imperfect and the secondary verb in the participle. This verb tense is used to describe past actions, finished, and previous to another also past. For example: "When you arrived, I already had sung”.
- Past preterite, the last of the compound past tenses, is a disused form in the colloquial language of Spanish, being replaced by the pluperfect in almost all of its cases. It is used to describe a past action, but immediately after another remote action in time. For example: “María left as soon as it was over to eat".