A2 · Module 40 · Start Talking About the Past

Learn Spanish: Module 40 — Start Talking About the Past

I can locate an event in the past and say selected completed actions with regular preterite forms.

In Module 40 you learn regular completed-past forms, the preterite person endings, and three yo spelling-change patterns that keep the sound consistent.

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Module 40 For now:only regular preterite and the familiar -car/-gar/-zar yo spelling changes are new here. Module 41 irregular preterite forms are saved for the next lesson. Because Module 40 introduces a genuine present-vs-completed-past contrast, Verb Tense Options appears on verb-focused Practice Rolls.

Lesson 1

Past-Time examples

What you are learning:I can use common expressions such as yesterday, last night and last week to locate an event in the past.

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Spanish	English
ayer	yesterday
anoche	last night
la semana pasada	last week
el fin de semana pasado	last weekend

Build & connect

Important:these expressions locate an event in past time, but the time expression by itself does not determine every future tense choice. In Module 40, you pair them with completed-event preterite forms.

Lesson 2

Regular -AR Preterite I

What you are learning:I can say what I did using selected regular -ar first-person preterite forms.

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Infinitive	Completed-past yo form	Meaning
hablar	hablé	I spoke / talked
trabajar	trabajé	I worked
estudiar	estudié	I studied

Build & connect

English vs Spanish:English often marks the completed past with -ed or an irregular form. Regular Spanish -ar verbs use-éfor the first-person completed-past form in these learned contexts. The written accent is part of the form you are learning.

Lesson 3

Regular -AR Preterite II

What you are learning:I can extend the regular -ar completed-past yo pattern to comprar and the form you have learned pagué.

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Spanish	English
compré	I bought
pagué	I paid

Build & connect

Keep the completed-event meaning:both forms are first-person preterite. The special spelling inpaguéwill be explained as a sound-preservation rule in Lesson 6; here, learn and Recall the form you have learned.

Lesson 4

Regular -ER/-IR Preterite

What you are learning:I can say completed first-person -er/-ir actions with the regular -í pattern.

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Infinitive	Completed-past yo form	Meaning
comer	comí	I ate
vivir	viví	I lived

Regular -er and -ir first-person preterite:-í

Build & connect

Compare the two regular patterns:first-person -ar uses-é; first-person -er/-ir uses-í. Both accents matter because they mark the stressed completed-past form learned here.

Preterite Person-Ending Color Map

What you are learning:I can build regular preterite forms for hablar, comer and vivir by person instead of copying memorized sentences.

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Person	hablar	comer	vivir
I	hablé	comí	viví
you familiar	hablaste	comiste	viviste
he/she/usted	habló	comió	vivió
we	hablamos	comimos	vivimos
they/ustedes	hablaron	comieron	vivieron

-AR
é · aste · ó · amos · aron

-ER/-IR
í · iste · ió · imos · ieron

Build & connect

Watchhablamos:the written form can also be a present form learned earlier. A past-time example and the surrounding context tell you when it is the preterite “we spoke.”

Preterite Spelling Changes — Preserve the Sound

What you are learning:I can form the learned yo preterite spelling changes and explain that the spelling preserves pronunciation.

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Rule Pattern	learned model	Completed-past meaning
c → qu before é	buscar → busqué	I looked for / searched for
g → gu before é	pagar → pagué; llegar → llegué	I paid; I arrived
z → c before é	empezar → empecé	I began / started

Build & connect

This is spelling, not a new tense meaning:the yo preterite ending is still the regular completed-past-é. The stem spelling changes so the intended Spanish sound is preserved.

Review & Reuse

Recall & Practice

50 rolls integrate Module 40 with Spanish you have learned from Modules 31–39 without importing Module 41.

Combined Practice

Combine past-time examples, regular person endings and sound-preserving spelling in different situations.

Apply & Communicate

The first five Apply rolls are main Apply practices. The next five are matching extra practice in a new situation if Reveal was used.

You can now

I can locate a completed event in past time, Give the learned regular preterite forms by person, and preserve pronunciation in the learned -car/-gar/-zar yo spellings.

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Keep going — complete the five primary Apply outcomes with no unresolved after using Reveal Practice Roll.