Attend a Wedding in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to attend a wedding in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• use the preterite to talk about past events

• use vocabulary related to weddings and celebrations

• discuss emotions

Vocabulary

Let's start off with the vocab words in these lessons!

Adjectives

Spanish	English
emotivo	touching
increíble	incredible

examples
Hubo momentos muy emotivos. There were really touching moments.
La boda tuvo un menú increíble. The wedding had an incredible menu.

Nouns

Spanish	English
la boda	wedding
la ceremonia	ceremony
el discurso	speech
el esmoquin	tuxedo
la novia	bride
el novio	groom
los novios	bride and groom

Los Novios

• The word novia can be translated as girlfriend, fiancée, or bride.

• The word novio can be translated as boyfriend, fiancé, or groom.

• The word novios can be translated as couple, girlfriend and boyfriend, boyfriends, engaged couple, grooms, or bride and groom.

examples
Lloré durante la ceremonia. I cried during the ceremony.
Nos reímos mucho con los discursos. We laughed a lot at the speeches.
Nos pusimos esmoquin. We wore tuxedos.

Noun Phrases

Spanish	English
el día anterior	the day before
el junio pasado	last June

examples
Vinimos el día anterior a la boda. We came the day before the wedding.
¿Te casaste el junio pasado? Did you get married last June?

Prepositional Phrase

Spanish	English
a gusto	at ease

examples
Me sentí muy a gusto. I felt really at ease.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Bailar

Bailar(to dance) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	bailé	I danced
tú	bailaste	you danced	informal singular you
vos	bailaste	you danced	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	bailó	he, she danced
usted	bailó	you danced	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	bailamos	we danced
vosotros, vosotras	bailasteis	you danced	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	bailaron	they danced
ustedes	bailaron	you danced	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Brindar

Brindar(to toast) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	brindé	I toasted
tú	brindaste	you toasted	informal singular you
vos	brindaste	you toasted	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	brindó	he, she toasted
usted	brindó	you toasted	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	brindamos	we toasted
vosotros, vosotras	brindasteis	you toasted	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	brindaron	they toasted
ustedes	brindaron	you toasted	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Casarse

Casarse(to get married) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me casé	I got married
tú	te casaste	you got married	informal singular you
vos	te casaste	you got married	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se casó	he, she got married
usted	se casó	you got married	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos casamos	we got married
vosotros, vosotras	os casasteis	you got married	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se casaron	they got married
ustedes	se casaron	you got married	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Conocer

Conocer( to meet or to get to know) is an -er verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	conocí	I met, I got to know
tú	conociste	you met, you got to know	informal singular you
vos	conociste	you met, you got to know	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	conoció	he, she met; he, she got to know
usted	conoció	you met, you got to know	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	conocimos	we met, we got to know
vosotros, vosotras	conocisteis	you met, we got to know	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	conocieron	they met, they got to know
ustedes	conocieron	you met, you got to know	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

When using conocer to mean to meet, we use a little preposition called the personal a. For example:

examples
¿Conociste a la familia del novio? Did you meet the groom's family?

Disfrutar

Disfrutar(to have fun) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	disfruté	I had fun
tú	disfrutaste	you had fun	informal singular you
vos	disfrutaste	you had fun	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	disfrutó	he, she had fun
usted	disfrutó	you had fun	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	disfrutamos	we had fun
vosotros, vosotras	disfrutasteis	you had fun	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	disfrutaron	they had fun
ustedes	disfrutaron	you had fun	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Haber

In this skill, you learned the verb haber. Haber is commonly used as an impersonal verb to state what exists. When we’re talking about the existence of something in the preterite tense, we use one form of the verb: hubo. Note that the verb does not change in the preterite tense when talking about singular vs plural objects - you always use hubo!

examples
Hubo momentos muy emotivos. There were really touching moments.

Llorar

Llorar(to cry) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	lloré	I cried
tú	lloraste	you cried	informal singular you
vos	lloraste	you cried	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	lloró	he, she cried
usted	lloró	you cried	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	lloramos	we cried
vosotros, vosotras	llorasteis	you cried	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	lloraron	they cried
ustedes	lloraron	you cried	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Llover

In this skill, you learned the verb llover. Llover (to rain) is commonly used as an impersonal verb to discuss precipitation. When we’re talking about rain as a meteorological phenomenon in the preterite tense, we use one form of the verb: llovió.

examples
No llovió durante la boda. It didn't rain during the wedding.

Organizar

Organizar(to organize) is an -ar verb with a spelling change in the preterite in the yo form.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	organicé	I organized
tú	organizaste	you organized	informal singular you
vos	organizaste	you organized	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	organizó	he, she organized
usted	organizó	you organized	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	organizamos	we organized
vosotros, vosotras	organizasteis	you organized	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	organizaron	they organized
ustedes	organizaron	you organized	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Ponerse

Ponerse(to wear) is a reflexive stem-changing -er verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," pon, changes to pus in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me puse	I wore
tú	te pusiste	you wore	informal singular you
vos	te pusiste	you wore	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se puso	he, she wore
usted	se puso	you wore	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos pusimos	we wore
vosotros, vosotras	os pusisteis	you wore	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se pusieron	they wore
ustedes	se pusieron	you wore	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Reírse

Reírse(to laugh) is a stem-changing -ir verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," reí, changes to ri in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me reí	I laughed
tú	te reíste	you laughed	informal singular you
vos	te reíste	you laughed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se rio	he, she laughed
usted	se rio	you laughed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos reímos	we laughed
vosotros, vosotras	os reísteis	you laughed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se rieron	they laughed
ustedes	se rieron	you laughed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Sentarse

Sentarse(to sit) is an -ar reflexive verb that is regular in the preterite4re3.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me senté	I sat
tú	te sentaste	you sat	informal singular you
vos	te sentaste	you sat	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se sentó	he, she sat
usted	se sentó	you sat	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos sentamos	we sat
vosotros, vosotras	os sentasteis	you sat	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se sentaron	they sat
ustedes	se sentaron	you sat	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Sentirse

Sentirse(to feel) is a stem-changing -ir verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," se, changes to si in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me sentí	I felt
tú	te sentiste	you felt	informal singular you
vos	te sentiste	you felt	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se sintió	he, she felt
usted	se sintió	you felt	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos sentimos	we felt
vosotros, vosotras	os sentisteis	you felt	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se sintieron	they felt
ustedes	se sintieron	you felt	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Servir

Servir(to serve) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," se, changes to si in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	serví	I served
tú	serviste	you served	informal singular you
vos	serviste	you served	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	sirvió	he, she served
usted	sirvió	you served	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	servimos	we served
vosotros, vosotras	servisteis	you served	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	sirvieron	they served
ustedes	sirvieron	you served	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Sonreír

Sonreír(to smile) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," sonreí, changes to sonri in the él, ella, usted and ellos, ellas, ustedes forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	sonreí	I smiled
tú	sonreíste	you smiled	informal singular you
vos	sonreíste	you smiled	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	sonrió	he, she smiled
usted	sonrió	you smiled	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	sonreímos	we smiled
vosotros, vosotras	sonreísteis	you smiled	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	sonrieron	they smiled
ustedes	sonrieron	you smiled	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Tener

Tener(to have) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," te, changes to tuv in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	tuve	I had
tú	tuviste	you had	informal singular you
vos	tuviste	you had	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	tuvo	he, she had
usted	tuvo	you had	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tuvimos	we had
vosotros, vosotras	tuvisteis	you had	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tuvieron	they had
ustedes	tuvieron	you had	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that the yo and él, ella, usted forms of tener in the preterite do not have accent marks.

Venir

Venir(to come) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," ve, changes to vi in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	vine	I came
tú	viniste	you came	informal singular you
vos	viniste	you came	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	vino	he, she came
usted	vino	you came	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	vinimos	we came
vosotros, vosotras	vinisteis	you came	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	vinieron	they came
ustedes	vinieron	you came	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that the yo form ends in e, and that neither the yo form nor the él, ella, usted forms have accents.

The Preterite

Regular Spanish Preterite Forms

There are only two sets of endings for regular preterite verbs, one for -ar verbs and one for both -er and -ir verbs. To conjugate a regular verb in the preterite tense, simply remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add the preterite ending that matches the subject. Check out the table of regular preterite endings below.

Subject	-ar Verbs	-er and -ir Verbs
yo	-é	-í
tú	-aste	-iste
él, ella, usted	-ó	-ió
nosotros	-amos	-imos
vosotros	-asteis	-isteis
ellos, ellas, ustedes	-aron	-ieron

Note that some verbs, like ir, ser, and ver, are completely irregular in the preterite!

When Do We Use the Preterite?

We use the preterite to describe actions completed at a point in the past. To talk about how long ago something happened, we can use the structure:

hace + time

examples
Me casé hace un mes. I got married a month ago.

Quiz Yourself!

Want more practice with the vocabulary you learned in these lessons? Click here!

Spanish Conversation

Fantastic! Let's put the grammar and vocab from above to the test in the following example of a conversation in Spanish.

Rafael:

Valentina, ¿te casaste el junio pasado?

Valentina, did you get married last June?

Valentina:

No, me casé hace un mes. Me puse un vesitdo largo y blanco. Me sentí muy a gusto.

No, I got married a month ago. I wore a long, white dress. I felt really at ease.

Rafael:

Muy bien. ¿Sonreíste en las fotos familiares?

Great. Did you smile in the family photos?

Valentina:

Sí, pero lloré mucho durante la ceremonia. Me reí durante la cena. Nos reímos mucho con los discursos.

Yes, but I cried a lot during the ceremony. I laughed during the dinner. We laughed a lot at the speeches.

Rafael:

Una última pregunta: ¿bailaste mucho?

One last question. Did you dance a lot?

Valentina:

¡Sí! Bailamos hasta las cuatro de la mañana.

Yes! We danced until four in the morning.

Want to learn more about how to attend a wedding in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• Party Time!

• Meaning of "Te Amo"

• "Congratulations" in Spanish