Go on Winter Break in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to go on winter break in Spanish in this article and the lessons above! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• talk about winter holidays

• use winter-related vocabulary

• use the preterite to talk about completed events

Vocabulary

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

Nouns

Spanish	English
los bisabuelos	great-grandparents
el cuñado	brother-in-law
Escocia	Scotland
el hogar	fireplace
la Janucá	Hanukkah
la januquiá	hanukkiah
el mercadillo	market
el nacimiento	Nativity scene
la Navidad	Christmas
la nevada	snowfall
la vela	candle

examples
Visité a mis bisabuelos. I visited my great-grandparents.
¿Pudiste ver a tu cuñado? Were you able to see your brother-in-law?
Hice un viaje a Escocia. I took a trip to Scotland.

Capitalization Tip

Proper nouns, like the names of holidays, are capitalized in Spanish. For example:

examples
Celebré Janucá. I celebrated Hanukkah.
Puse el árbol de Navidad. I put up the Christmas tree.

examples

Celebré Janucá.

I celebrated Hanukkah.

Puse el árbol de Navidad.

I put up the Christmas tree.

Noun Phrases

Spanish	English
el año nuevo	new year
el árbol de Navidad	Christmas tree
el chocolate caliente	hot chocolate
el muñeco de nieve	snowman

examples
¿Brindaron por el año nuevo? Did you toast to the new year?
Puse el árbol de Navidad. I put up the Christmas tree.
Bebimos chocolate caliente. We drank hot chocolate.

Prepositional Phrase

Spanish	English
por fin	finally

examples
¿Te relajaste por fin? Did you finally relax?

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Abrigarse

Abrigarse(to bundle up) is an -ar pronominal verb with an irregular yo form in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me abrigué	I bundled up
tú	te abrigaste	you bundled up	informal singular you
vos	te abrigaste	you bundled up	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se abrigó	he, she bundled up
usted	se abrigó	you bundled up	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos abrigamos	we bundled up
vosotros, vosotras	os abrigasteis	you bundled up	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se abrigaron	they bundled up
ustedes	se abrigaron	you bundled up	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Abrir

Abrir(to open) is an -ir verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	abrí	I opened
tú	abriste	you opened	informal singular you
vos	abriste	you opened	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	abrió	he, she opened
usted	abrió	you opened	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	abrimos	we opened
vosotros, vosotras	abristeis	you opened	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	abrieron	they opened
ustedes	abrieron	you opened	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Adornar

Adornar(to decorate) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	adorné	I decorated
tú	adornaste	you decorated	informal singular you
vos	adornaste	you decorated	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	adornó	he, she decorated
usted	adornó	you decorated	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	adornamos	we decorated
vosotros, vosotras	adornasteis	you decorated	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	adornaron	they decorated
ustedes	adornaron	you decorated	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Beber

Beber(to drink) is an -er verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	bebí	I drank
tú	bebiste	you drank	informal singular you
vos	bebiste	you drank	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	bebió	he, she drank
usted	bebió	you drank	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	bebimos	we drank
vosotros, vosotras	bebisteis	you drank	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	bebieron	they drank
ustedes	bebieron	you drank	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)

Caer

Caer(to fall) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," ha, changes to hi in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	caí	I fell
tú	caíste	you fell	informal singular you
vos	caíste	you fell	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	cayó	he, she fell
usted	cayó	you fell	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	caímos	we fell
vosotros, vosotras	caísteis	you fell	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	cayeron	they fell
ustedes	cayeron	you fell	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Celebrar

Celebrar(to celebrate) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	celebré	I celebrated
tú	celebraste	you celebrated	informal singular you
vos	celebraste	you celebrated	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	celebró	he, she celebrated
usted	celebró	you celebrated	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	celebramos	we celebrated
vosotros, vosotras	celebrasteis	you celebrated	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	celebraron	they celebrated
ustedes	celebraron	you celebrated	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Comer

Comer(to eat) is an -er verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	comí	I ate
tú	comiste	you ate	informal singular you
vos	comiste	you ate	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	comió	he, she ate
usted	comió	you ate	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	comimos	we ate
vosotros, vosotras	comisteis	you ate	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	comieron	they ate
ustedes	comieron	you ate	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Dedicarse

Dedicarse(to spend time) is an -ar pronominal verb with an irregular yo form in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me dediqué	I spent time
tú	te dedicaste	you spent time	informal singular you
vos	te dedicaste	you spent time	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se dedicó	he, she spent time
usted	se dedicó	you spent time	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos dedicamos	we spent time
vosotros, vosotras	os dedicasteis	you spent time	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se dedicaron	they spent time
ustedes	se dedicaron	you spent time	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Descansar

Descansar(to rest) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	descansé	I rested
tú	descansaste	you rested	informal singular you
vos	descansaste	you rested	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	descansó	he, she rested
usted	descansó	you rested	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	descansamos	we rested
vosotros, vosotras	descansasteis	you rested	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	descansaron	they rested
ustedes	descansaron	you rested	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Empacharse

Empacharse(to stuff oneself) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me empaché	I stuffed myself
tú	te empachaste	you stuffed yourself	informal singular you
vos	te empachaste	you stuffed yourself	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se empachó	he, she stuffed himself, herself
usted	se empachó	you stuffed yourself	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos empachamos	we stuffed ourselves
vosotros, vosotras	os empachasteis	you stuffed yourselves	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se empacharon	they stuffed themselves
ustedes	se empacharon	you stuffed yourselves	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Esquiar

Esquiar(to ski) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	esquié	I skied
tú	esquiaste	you skied	informal singular you
vos	esquiaste	you skied	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	esquió	he, she skied
usted	esquió	you skied	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	esquiamos	we skied
vosotros, vosotras	esquiasteis	you skied	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	esquiaron	they skied
ustedes	esquiaron	you skied	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Estropearse

Estropearse(to break or to break down) is a pronominal -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Estropearse tends to be used in the third-person singular or third-person plural:

• se estropeó (it broke, it broke down)

• se estropearon (they broke, they broke down)

Granizar

Granizar(to hail) is an impersonal -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Granizar is used in the third-person singular:

• granizó (it hailed)

Ordenar

Ordenar(to tidy up) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	ordené	I tidied up
tú	ordenaste	you tidied up	informal singular you
vos	ordenaste	you tidied up	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	ordenó	he, she tidied up
usted	ordenó	you tidied up	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	ordenamos	we tidied up
vosotros, vosotras	ordenasteis	you tidied up	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	ordenaron	they tidied up
ustedes	ordenaron	you tidied up	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Poder

Poder(to be able to) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," po, changes to pu in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	pude	I was able to
tú	pudiste	you were able to	informal singular you
vos	pudiste	you were able to	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	pudo	he, she was able to
usted	pudo	you were able to	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	pudimos	we were able to
vosotros, vosotras	pudisteis	you were able to	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	pudieron	they were able to
ustedes	pudieron	you were able to	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Prender

Prender(to light) is an -er verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	prendí	I lit
tú	prendiste	you lit	informal singular you
vos	prendiste	you lit	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	prendió	he, she lit
usted	prendió	you lit	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	prendimos	we lit
vosotros, vosotras	prendisteis	you lit	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	prendieron	they lit
ustedes	prendieron	you lit	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

In Latin America, prender can be used to mean to turn on. For example:

examples
Prendimos el hogar. We turned on the fireplace.

examples

Prendimos el hogar.

We turned on the fireplace.

This example refers to an artificial fireplace that can be turned on and off.

Regalar

Regalar(to give) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	regalé	I gave
tú	regalaste	you gave	informal singular you
vos	regalaste	you gave	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	regaló	he, she gave
usted	regaló	you gave	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	regalamos	we gave
vosotros, vosotras	regalasteis	you gave	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	regalaron	they gave
ustedes	regalaron	you gave	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Relajarse

Relajarse(to relax) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me relajé	I relaxed
tú	te relajaste	you relaxed	informal singular you
vos	te relajaste	you relaxed	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se relajó	he, she relaxed
usted	se relajó	you relaxed	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos relajamos	we relaxed
vosotros, vosotras	os relajasteis	you relaxed	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se relajaron	they relaxed
ustedes	se relajaron	you relaxed	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Verb Phrase

In this skill, you learn the following verb phrase!

Salir De Casa

Salir de casa(to go out of the house) is an -ir verb phrase that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	salí de casa	I went out of the house
tú	saliste de casa	you went out of the house	informal singular you
vos	saliste de casa	you went out of the house	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	salió de casa	he, she went out of the house
usted	salió de casa	you went out of the house	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	salimos de casa	we went out of the house
vosotros, vosotras	salisteis de casa	you went out of the house	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	salieron de casa	they went out of the house
ustedes	salieron de casa	you went out of the house	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

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

Irregular and Stem-Changing Verbs in the Preterite

Note that some verbs, like many of those we saw in this lesson, are irregular or stem-changing in the preterite! Learn more about irregular verbs, spelling changes, and stem-changing preterite verbs in this article.

When Do We Use the Preterite?

Specific Times in the Past

We use the preterite to describe actions completed at a point in the past, especially those that occurred on specific days or dates, at specific times, and during specific time periods. For example, we often use the preterite with the following phrase: