The preterite of estar is used to express when you were in a specific place or state for a defined period in the past. For example, you might say “I was at the party for two hours,” indicating a completed duration.

This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. It uses the stem ‘estuv-‘ throughout all its conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of estar describes a completed state or condition in the past, with clear start and end points.

Temporary States: Used for completed periods of being somewhere or in a certain condition, for example Estuve enfermo toda la semana (I was sick all week). Estuvimos en la fiesta hasta medianoche (We were at the party until midnight).

Emotional States: Describes completed emotional experiences, for example Estuvo muy contento con el regalo (He was very happy with the gift).

Examples

Examples of Estar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Estuve enfermo toda la semana. (I was sick all week.)

¿Estuviste en la fiesta anoche? (Were you at the party last night?)

Mi hermana estuvo en París el mes pasado. (My sister was in Paris last month.)

Estuvimos tres horas en el aeropuerto. (We were at the airport for three hours.)

Los niños estuvieron jugando todo el día. (The children were playing all day.)

¿Dónde estuviste ayer? (Where were you yesterday?)

Estuve muy ocupado esta mañana. (I was very busy this morning.)

El profesor estuvo ausente la semana pasada. (The teacher was absent last week.)

Estuvimos preocupados por tu salud. (We were worried about your health.)

¿Estuviste estudiando toda la noche? (Were you studying all night?)

Mi padre estuvo en una reunión importante. (My father was in an important meeting.)

Estuvimos de vacaciones en la playa. (We were on vacation at the beach.)

Los estudiantes estuvieron muy atentos. (The students were very attentive.)

Estuve pensando en ti todo el día. (I was thinking about you all day.)

¿Por qué no estuviste en clase ayer? (Why weren’t you in class yesterday?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.