Simple Past of -ar Verbs
Stem plus -èri, -ères, -èt, -èrem, -èretz, -èron gives the simple past of an -ar verb.
How It Works
| Person | parlar |
|---|---|
| ieu | parlèri |
| tu | parlères |
| el, ela | parlèt |
| nosautres | parlèrem |
| vosautres | parlèretz |
| eles, elas | parlèron |
The accent on è is part of every ending: parlèt, parlèron. Leave it out and the word is misspelled.
The spelling of the stem follows the sound. Before è, the soft sounds are written g and c, as before i: manjar gives mangèri, and començar gives comencèri. The hard g sound of jogar needs gu: joguèri.
In conversation, the compound past takes the place of the simple past for recent events. The simple past is the tense of stories and written accounts.
Examples (5)
- Cantèrem tota la nuèch.
We sang all night.
Cantèrem is the nosautres form.
- Joan trobèt una clau dins la carrièra.
Joan found a key in the street.
Trobèt is the el form, with an accent.
- Mangèri tot lo pan.
I ate all the bread.
Mangèri keeps the g of manjar.
- Los dròlles joguèron dins lo pargue.
The children played in the park.
Joguèron needs gu to keep the hard g.
- Demorèretz tres oras a Carcassona.
You stayed three hours in Carcassonne.
Demorèretz is the vosautres form.
Common Mistakes
Dropping the accent on the ending.
Joan trobet una clau dins la carrièra.Joan trobèt una clau dins la carrièra.The ending -èt carries a grave accent.
Writing j before è.
Manjèri tot lo pan.Mangèri tot lo pan.The spelling follows the sound: mangèri has a g.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The simple past of -ar verbs is the first simple past, so the -ar present and the overview of the two pasts come first.
- Present of -ar Verbs
Know the present of -ar verbs, because the simple past is built on the same stem: parli, parlèri.
Level 1 - Two Ways to Talk About the Past
Know the two ways to talk about the past, because this is the simple past that the overview introduces: Joan arribèt e parlèt amb Maria.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- Simple Past of -ir Verbs
-ir verbs insert -igu- before the endings.
Level 4 - Simple Past of -re Verbs
-re verbs take the same endings as -ar verbs.
Level 4 - Simple Past or Compound Past
How the simple past and the compound past differ.
Level 4 - Telling a Story in the Past
How to use the simple past to tell a story.
Level 4 - Spelling Changes in Verbs
Spelling changes in -ar verbs.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Simple Past of -ar Verbs in Bubblegum
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