The Preterite Tense:Verbs Ending in:

–car,-gar and -zar

Comparen:

¿Sacaste fotos del aeropuerto?

Did you take photos of the airport?Sí, saqué fotos des aeropuerto.

Yes, I took pictures of the airport.

Comparen:

¿Con quién jugaste el fútbol?

Who did you play soccer with?

Jugué con mi primo.

I played with my cousin.

Comparen:

¿Dónde almorzaste ayer?

Where did you eat lunch yesterday?Almorcé con mi familia en Griffith Park.

I ate with my family in Griffith Park.

Let’s take a closer look at the tú and yo form of these verbs.

sacaste saqué

jugaste jugué

almorzaste

almorcé

tú yo

Can we make a rule?For verbs ending in –car:• c becomes qu in the “yo” form

For verbs ending in –gar:• g becomes gu in the “yo” form

For verbs ending in –zar”• z becomes c in the “yo form

Why are these changes necessary?

To keep the pronunciation the same.-qu keeps the “hard c” sound before

the yo –é ending.• gu keeps the “hard g” sound

before an the yo -é ending.• c is a “soft c” before the yo –é

ending. (z is not necessary)

Práctica: Conjugate these verbs in the preterite tense

1. yo/almorzar2. tu/pagar3. nosotros/explicar4. yo/llegar5. él/buscar6. yo/empezar7. yo/practicar

Práctica: Respuestas

1. yo almorcé2. tú pagaste3. nosotros explicamos4. yo llegué5. él buscó6. yo empecé7. yo pratiqué