Preterita

Preterita is not a widely recognized term in standard Spanish grammar. The past tense is generally called pretérito, with two main forms being pretérito imperfecto (imperfect) and pretérito perfecto simple (preterite). The feminine form pretérita is not commonly used as an independent label in grammar references. When a feminine noun is described, speakers usually say la forma pretérita or la construcción pretérita rather than treat pretérita as a standalone term.

Pretérito describes past actions viewed as completed. It contrasts with the imperfect, which describes ongoing, habitual, or background past actions. The pretérito perfecto simple (the simple past) is used for actions with a definite end or moment in the past, while the imperfect describes habits, descriptions, or actions without a specified endpoint. Regular verb conjugations in the pretérito perfecto simple include: for -ar verbs, hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron; for -er/-ir verbs, comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron. The imperfect forms include: -ar verbs, hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban; -er/-ir verbs, comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían.

Etymology and scope: pretérito comes from Latin praeteritus “passed,” and is a key term across Romance languages for past tense. In English-language grammar, the corresponding term is preterite. Some learners may encounter pretérita in nonstandard or instructional usage, but standard references prefer pretérito or explicit descriptions like forma pretérita. See also pretérito imperfecto, pretérito perfecto simple, and related past tenses in Spanish grammar.