The preterite of leer is used to express when you read something completely at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I read the entire book last week” – “Leí todo el libro la semana pasada.”
This verb follows an e to y stem-changing pattern in the preterite, but only in the third person singular and plural forms (leyó, leyeron). The other forms follow regular -er patterns.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Leer (to read) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | leí |
| Tú | leíste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | leyó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | leímos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | leísteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | leyeron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Leer (to read) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Leer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of leer describes completed reading actions.
To read (completed action): Refers to finishing reading something, for example Leí todo el libro ayer (I read the whole book yesterday), or Leyeron el contrato antes de firmarlo (They read the contract before signing it).
To study/interpret: Used for comprehending or interpreting text, for example Leyó la situación perfectamente (He read the situation perfectly).
Examples
Examples of Leer in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Leí todo el libro en una noche. (I read the entire book in one night.)
¿Leíste el mensaje que te envié? (Did you read the message I sent you?)
Ella leyó la carta en voz alta. (She read the letter out loud.)
Leímos las noticias esta mañana. (We read the news this morning.)
Los estudiantes leyeron el poema en clase. (The students read the poem in class.)
¿Leíste las instrucciones antes de empezar? (Did you read the instructions before starting?)
El profesor leyó los nombres de los graduados. (The professor read the names of the graduates.)
Leí tu comentario en el blog. (I read your comment on the blog.)
Leyeron el contrato antes de firmarlo. (They read the contract before signing it.)
Leímos la revista durante el viaje. (We read the magazine during the trip.)
¿Por qué no leíste mi correo electrónico? (Why didn’t you read my email?)
El actor leyó el guion perfectamente. (The actor read the script perfectly.)
Leí las reseñas antes de ver la película. (I read the reviews before watching the movie.)
Los niños leyeron el cuento antes de dormir. (The children read the story before bed.)
Leímos sobre el tema en varios artículos. (We read about the topic in various articles.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Leer (to read) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo leí | I read |
| Tú leíste | You read |
| Él / Ella / Usted leyó | He / She / You (formal) read |
| Nosotros / Nosotras leímos | We read |
| Vosotros / Vosotras leísteis | You all read |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes leyeron | They / You all (formal) read |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.