Preterite Tense

The preterite tense expresses an action in the past.  It is used to describe events that are finished or complete.  It is formed by adding these endings to the infinitive stem.

-ar verbs			-er and -ir verbs
-é -aste -ó	-amos -asteis -aron		-í -iste -ió	-imos -isteis -ieron

Viví en España dos años.  I lived in Spain for two years.
Ellos hablaron con los niños.  They spoke with the children.
Quién comió la fruta?  Who ate the fruit?