Bebiste

Bebiste is the second-person singular pretérito perfecto simple (simple past) of the verb beber in Spanish. It indicates a completed action of drinking performed by the subject tú, and its use is common in narrative and conversation when the past action is seen as a single event.

The verb beber is regular in this conjugation, so the forms are straightforward: yo bebí, tú bebiste, él bebió, nosotros bebimos, vosotros bebisteis, ellos bebieron. Bebiste does not carry an accent, while bebí has an accent on the i. The form is often used with an explicitly stated or implied subject, as the ending already signals the person and number.

Usage and examples: bebiste agua, ¿qué bebiste? Ayer bebiste dos vasos de agua. It contrasts with bebía, the imperfect form meaning “you were drinking” or “you used to drink,” and with beberé in the future. In formal address, tú is replaced by usted or ustedes in many dialects, yielding forms like usted bebió or ustedes bebieron for past actions.

Regional variation: in Spain, the second-person plural past form is bebisteis for vosotros, while in most Latin American dialects the plural you use ustedes with bebieron in the past tense. The singular tú form remains bebiste across most dialects, making it widely understood.

Etymology: bebiste derives from beber, with the Latin formation bibísti for the second-person singular in the perfective past, adapted in Spanish as the -iste ending for regular -er verbs. The word is a standard element of the Spanish preterite and is not irregular.