The Spanish verb ir, meaning to go, is an irregular verb in the language. How to Use Preterite Tense Get to know your preterite past tense – and become a superhero! In this post, we’ll go over the ir preterite conjugation, and its uses, common errors and how to be sure you can use it in everyday conversation.
What Is the Preterite Tense?
Before we get into preterite ir, let’s first go over the purpose of the preterite tense in Spanish. The preterite, or pretérito, is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish, the other being the imperfect (imperfecto). The first spread is used for pursuits and habitual past action, and the second for actions that were completed at a specific moment in the past.
Examples:
- Ayer fui al mercado. (I went to the market yesterday.).
- They went to the beach Saturday. (They went to the beach Saturday.)
Additional Gardner: Yes, You Are FREE – To Shut Up!
Notice how ir deviates from regular -ir verbs in the preterite! Curiously, the third person dom in the preterite is identical to the verb ser (to be). The sense of a sentence is a clue whether it is using “went” or “was/were”.
Preterite Ir in Sentences Here are some examples of how to use Ir in preterite tense sentences.
To give you some context and better guide you towards using preterite ir properly, here are some examples:
- Yo fui al médico ayer. (I saw the doctor yesterday.)
- Did you go to the party on Friday? (Were you at the party on Friday?)
- My family went to Spain last summer. (Last summer, my family went to Spain.)
- We went to the movie after dinner. (After dinner we went to the movies.)
- Did you guys go to class this morning? (You all went to class this morning, right?)
- They went to the concert last night. (We saw the concert last night).
How to Tell “Preterite Ir” from “Preterite Ser”
Since ir and ser also have the same preterite conjugations, it depends on context. When in doubt, try to figure out if ir is present in the sentence or not based on the context of the sentence.
Example 1: Preterite Ir
- Ella fue al parque. (She went to the park.)
Here is a clear demonstration of motion or direction, pointing to ir.
Example 2: Preterite Ser
- She’d been a good student. (She was a good student.)
Here it’s an attribute, so the ser is signaled.
Phrases where you use “Preterite ”
Ir in the preterite works to make the action feel complete. Here are some frequent phrases and time markers that you may often see use h with:
- Ayer (yesterday)
- Anoche (last night)
- La semana pasada (last week)
- El año pasado (last year)
- Hace dos días (two days ago)
Examples:
- Last night we went to the italian restaurant. (Last night we went to the Italian with the swirls).
- One month ago, I went to a job interview. (I went on a job interview a month ago.)
Study Tips for the Preterite of “Ir”
Try using Contextual Sentences
Reading and writing sentences with real past events will help you to remember the preterite form of ir.
Use Flashcards
Use the subject pronoun and its conjugation together. Example: “Nosotros – fuimos”
Compare Other Irregular Verbs
When you group it with other similar irregular preterite verbs (such as tener, hacer and estar), you’ll see some patterns that can make it easier to remember.
Listen and Repeat
Watch Spanish television shows and listen to podcasts where the preterite is utilized regularly. Repeat those phrases to help you remember them.
Practice Conversation As you learn new phrases and vocabulary, try to practice and use them in conversation.
Practice discussing where you went yesterday, last week or last year with ir in the preterite.
Ir (Preterite) vs Other Past Tenses
The preterit can be easily confused with preterit perfect. Here’s a quick comparison:
Preterite Ir:
- Care is done at particular time.
- Fui a la tienda a las cinco. (I was at the store at five.)
Imperfect Ir:
- Action-, state-, or process-time used for action, state, or process habitual or extended into the past.
- I went to the store every day. (I used to go to the store every day.)
Remembering this difference is very important when you need to express that an action is a time-sensitive (not regular) event.
Preterite “Ir” Practice Exercises 1 Seeking more practice with the preterite tense?
Complete each sentence with the correct form of ir in preterite.
- Ayer, yo _ al gimnasio.
- ¿Tú _ al banco esta mañana?
- Ali and Solange _ to the concert together.
- We _ to the market on Sunday.
- My parents _ to a fancy culture restaurant.
Answers:
- fui
- fuiste
- fueron
- fuimos
- fueron
One More Thing about Using the “Preterite Ir” Correctly
The verb ir might be irregular, but once you’ve committed its preterite forms to memory and had plenty of practice using them in context, you’ll have a much easier time discussing your past actions in a clear manner. The secret is doing it, seeing it, and doing it some more.
Whether that be a recent trip, a previous activity, or in response to the question “Where did you go?”, you’ll definitely deepen your Spanish communication by using preterite correctly. Keep studying and practicing, and before you know it, you’ll be using it naturally in conversation.