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Spanish Preterite — El Pretérito

Tenth graders move deeper into the past tense, learning the preterite endings for regular verbs — hablé, comiste, vivió — so they can say exactly who did what, and when.

Grade 10El Pretérito50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the preterite.
  • ✓Know the endings.
  • ✓Match forms to meanings.
  • ✓Talk about the past.
Essential Question

Last year you spotted the past tense — now you’ll USE it. The preterite tells what happened. How do regular verbs change?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Preterite Form

Project this and match each preterite verb to its English meaning — tap the Spanish, then tap the English.

⏳ Match each preterite verb to its meaningTry it
Español
English
Now tap the English!
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — From Spotting to Using

5 min

Last year you spotted the past — now you’ll use the preterite. How do verbs change?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “I talk / I talked.”
  • Ask about the endings.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Notice.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — El Pretérito

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present the -ar/-er/-ir endings.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Note the patterns.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Match the Forms

14 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Preterite Form.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

14 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what you did yesterday.
  • Use three verbs.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Use them.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give a preterite verb.
  • Say its meaning.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Give one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand the preterite.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: narrate the past.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare past tenses across languages.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to events and time.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Verb-ending cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Ayer yo ___.”
  • Use a verb chart.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with hablé and comí.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add irregular preterites.
  • Tell a past story.
  • Write a paragraph.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ⏳A verb chart
  • 💻Match the Preterite Form
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

el pretéritothe preterite (past)habléI talkedcomisteyou atevivióhe/she livedbailamoswe dancedescribieronthey wroteayeryesterdayanochelast night
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “yo hablé” mean?
I talked.
QUESTION 2
What does “tú comiste” mean?
You ate.
QUESTION 3
When do you use the preterite?
To say what happened in the past.

Reflect: ¿Qué hiciste?

Have students write three things they did yesterday using the preterite. A printable preterite sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Spanish Preterite (El Pretérito)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Spanish Preterite (El Pretérito)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Spanish Preterite (El Pretérito)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: anoche, ayer, bailamos, comiste, el pretérito, escribieron, hablé, vivió
  1. they wrote
  2. you ate
  3. I talked
  4. he/she lived
  5. we danced
  6. last night
  7. yesterday
  8. the preterite (past)

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “yo hablé” mean?
  2. What does “tú comiste” mean?
  3. When do you use the preterite?
Answer key — Part A: 1) escribieron · 2) comiste · 3) hablé · 4) vivió · 5) bailamos · 6) anoche · 7) ayer · 8) el pretérito
Part B: 1) I talked. 2) You ate. 3) To say what happened in the past.