My childhood
Talking about the past with the preterite
Context
Listen to the dialogue. Tap the speaker to hear each line.
María
¿Dónde viviste de niño?
Where did you live as a child?
Carlos
Viví en un pueblo pequeño, cerca de la playa.
I lived in a small town, near the beach.
María
¿Qué hacías los fines de semana?
What did you use to do on weekends?
Carlos
Jugábamos fútbol con mis primos y a veces íbamos a pescar.
We played soccer with my cousins and sometimes we went fishing.
María
¿Fuiste a la escuela cerca de tu casa?
Did you go to school near your house?
Carlos
Sí, caminaba veinte minutos todos los días. Fue una infancia muy feliz.
Yes, I walked twenty minutes every day. It was a very happy childhood.
Practice the dialogue
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Vocabulary
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jugar
Jugábamos fútbol todos los días.
u→ue: juego, juegas. Preterite: jugué, jugaste, jugó.
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SaveGrammar in 1 minute
Preterite: completed actions
The preterite describes finished actions: 'viví', 'jugamos', 'fui', 'caminé'. Regular -ar: hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablaron. Regular -er/-ir: comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comieron. Irregulars: fui (ser/ir), hice, tuve, pude, puse, vine, dije, vi.
Viví en un pueblo. Fuimos a la playa. Hice mi tarea.
Key irregular: fui = I was / I went.
Imperfect: habits and descriptions
The imperfect describes past habits and scenes: 'jugábamos', 'caminaba', 'vivía'. Regular: hablaba, comía, vivía. Use it for 'used to...' and ongoing background.
Jugábamos fútbol todos los sábados. La casa era grande y tenía un jardín.
Preterite = action finished; imperfect = habit/description.
Interactive practice
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What is true about the speaker's childhood?
Listen and choose the correct option.
What is true about the speaker's childhood?
De niño … en un pueblo pequeño.
Write the missing word or words.
Accents optional: write "como estas" and it works.
matching
Connect each Spanish word with its English meaning.
Write two sentences about your childhood: where you lived a…
Write your answer in Spanish.
Write two sentences about your childhood: where you lived and what you used to do.
Suggested answer: Viví en una ciudad grande. Jugaba con mis amigos todos los días.
Fue una infancia muy feliz, cerca de la playa.
Listen and repeat the sentence out loud.
Fue una infancia muy feliz, cerca de la playa.
It was a very happy childhood, near the beach.
Listen, pause and repeat out loud. Repeat 3 times until it sounds natural.
Pronunciation trainer
Final quiz
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