Interview a Star in Spanish

Quick Answer

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

• ask questions in the preterite

• discuss life events in the past

• use common interview-related vocabulary

Vocabulary

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

Adverbs

Spanish	English
desafortunadamente	unfortunately
realmente	really

examples
Desafortunadamente, me divorcié en 2021. Unfortunately, I got divorced in 2021.
Realmente, la relación nunca funcionó. Really, the relationship never worked.

Many adverbs can be formed with adjectives by using the following formula:

feminine singular adjective + -mente

For example:

desafortunada + -mente = desafortunadamente(unfortunately)

If an adjective ends in e or a consonant, just add -mente!

real + -mente = realmente(really)

Nouns

Spanish	English
el álbum	album
Brasil	Brazil
la capital	capital
Chile	Chile
los comienzos	start, beginning
el famoso	celebrity
la gira	tour
Nicaragua	Nicaragua
la madrina	godmother
el padrino	godfather
los padrinos	godparents
la pasión	passion
el principio	beginning

examples
¿Quién le ayudó al principio? Who helped you in the beginning?
¿Cuándo fue su primera gira? When was your first tour?
Mis padrinos me ayudaron mucho. My godparents helped me a lot.

Prepositional Phrases

Spanish	English
a los+ number + años	at the age of…
en el año + year	in the year
en+ year	in
por primera vez	for the first time

examples
Canté en Nicaragua por primera vez. I sang in Nicaragua for the first time.
Me mudé en el año 2020. I moved in the year 2020.
Desafortunadamente, me divorcié en 2021. Unfortunately, I got divorced in 2021.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Ayudar

Ayudar(to help) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	ayudé	I helped
tú	ayudaste	you helped	informal singular you
vos	ayudaste	you helped	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	ayudó	he, she helped
usted	ayudó	you helped	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	ayudamos	we helped
vosotros, vosotras	ayudasteis	you helped	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	ayudaron	they helped
ustedes	ayudaron	you helped	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Cantar

Cantar(to sing) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	canté	I sang
tú	cantaste	you sang	informal singular you
vos	cantaste	you sang	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	cantó	he, she sang
usted	cantó	you sang	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	cantamos	we sang
vosotros, vosotras	cantasteis	you sang	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	cantaron	they sang
ustedes	cantaron	you sang	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)

Conceder

Conceder(to grant) is an -er verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	concedí	I granted
tú	concediste	you granted	informal singular you
vos	concediste	you granted	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	concedió	he, she granted
usted	concedió	you granted	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	concedimos	we granted
vosotros, vosotras	concedisteis	you granted	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	concedieron	they granted
ustedes	concedieron	you granted	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Crear

Crear(to create) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	creé	I created
tú	creaste	you created	informal singular you
vos	creaste	you created	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	creó	he, she created
usted	creó	you created	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	creamos	we created
vosotros, vosotras	creasteis	you created	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	crearon	they created
ustedes	crearon	you created	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Dar

Dar(to give) is an irregular verb in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	di	I gave
tú	diste	you gave	informal singular you
vos	diste	you gave	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	dio	he, she gave
usted	dio	you gave	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	dimos	we gave
vosotros, vosotras	disteis	you gave	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	dieron	they gave
ustedes	dieron	you gave	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

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

Decidir

Decidir(to decide) is an -ir verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	decidí	I decided
tú	decidiste	you decided	informal singular you
vos	decidiste	you decided	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	decidió	he, she decided
usted	decidió	you decided	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	decidimos	we decided
vosotros, vosotras	decidisteis	you decided	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	decidieron	they decided
ustedes	decidieron	you decided	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Decir

Decir(to say, to tell) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," dec, changes to dij in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	dije	I said
tú	dijiste	you said	informal singular you
vos	dijiste	you said	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	dijo	he, she said
usted	dijo	you said	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	dijimos	we said
vosotros, vosotras	dijisteis	you said	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	dijieron	they said
ustedes	dijieron	you said	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

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

Descubrir

Descubrir(to discover) is an -ir verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	descubrí	I discovered
tú	descubriste	you discovered	informal singular you
vos	descubriste	you discovered	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	descubrió	he, she discovered
usted	descubrió	you discovered	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	descubrimos	we discovered
vosotros, vosotras	descubristeis	you discovered	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	descubrieron	they discovered
ustedes	descubrieron	you discovered	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Divorciarse

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

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me divorcié	I got divorced
tú	te divorciaste	you got divorced	informal singular you
vos	te divorciaste	you got divorced	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se divorció	he, she got divorced
usted	se divorció	you got divorced	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos divorciamos	we got divorced
vosotros, vosotras	os divorciasteis	you got divorced	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se divorciaron	they got divorced
ustedes	se divorciaron	you got divorced	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Funcionar

Funcionar(to work) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.
Note that when we use funcionar to mean to work or to funcion, we tend to use the third-person singular or plural forms, as we are talking about objects that work. In the preterite these are:

Number	Conjugation
Singular	funcionó
Plural	funcionaron

Learn more about trabajar vs. funcionar in this article!

Hacer

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

In the él, ella and usted forms of hacer in the preterite, the c changes to a z.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	hice	I made, did
tú	hiciste	you made, did	informal singular you
vos	hiciste	you made, did	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	hizo	he, she made, did
usted	hizo	you made, did	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	hicimos	we made, did
vosotros, vosotras	hicisteis	you made, did	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	hicieron	they made, did
ustedes	hicieron	you made, did	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that none of the forms of the verb hacer take an accent in the preterite.

Hacerse

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

In the él, ella and usted forms of hacer in the preterite, the c changes to a z.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me hice	I became
tú	te hiciste	you became	informal singular you
vos	te hiciste	you became	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se hizo	he, she became
usted	se hizo	you became	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos hicimos	we became
vosotros, vosotras	nos hicisteis	you became	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se hicieron	they became
ustedes	se hicieron	you became	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Note that none of the forms of the verb hacerse take an accent in the preterite.

Inspirar

Inspirar(to inspire) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	inspiré	I inspired
tú	inspiraste	you inspired	informal singular you
vos	inspiraste	you inspired	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	inspiró	he, she inspired
usted	inspiró	you inspired	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	inspiramos	we inspired
vosotros, vosotras	inspirasteis	you inspired	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	inspiraron	they inspired
ustedes	inspiraron	you inspired	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Mudarse

Mudarse(to move) is an -ar pronominal verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	me mudé	I moved
tú	te mudaste	you moved	informal singular you
vos	te mudaste	you moved	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	se mudó	he, she moved
usted	se mudó	you moved	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	nos mudamos	we moved
vosotros, vosotras	os mudasteis	you moved	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	se mudaron	they moved
ustedes	se mudaron	you moved	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Presentar

Presentar(to present) is an -ar verb that is regular in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	presenté	I presented
tú	presentaste	you presented	informal singular you
vos	presentaste	you presented	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	presentó	he, she presented
usted	presentó	you presented	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	presentamos	we presented
vosotros, vosotras	presentasteis	you presented	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	presentaron	they presented
ustedes	presentaron	you presented	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Sentirse

Sentirse(to feel) is a stem-changing -ir pronominal 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)

Ser

Ser(to be) is an irregular verb in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	fui	I was
tú	fuiste	you were	informal singular you
vos	fuiste	you were	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	fue	he, she was
usted	fue	you were	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	fuimos	we were
vosotros, vosotras	fuisteis	you were	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	fueron	they were
ustedes	fueron	you were	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

No, we didn’t make a mistake and yes, you’re seeing that right. Ser and ir are conjugated the same way in the preterite!

Note that none of the forms of the verb ser take an accent in the preterite.

Tocar

Tocar(to play [an instrument]) is an -ar verb with an irregular yo form in the preterite.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	toqué	I played
tú	tocaste	you played	informal singular you
vos	tocaste	you played	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	tocó	he, she played
usted	tocó	you played	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tocamos	we played
vosotros, vosotras	tocasteis	you played	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tocaron	they played
ustedes	tocaron	you played	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Tocar also means to touch. It’s important to remember that, in Spanish, you don’t jugar an instrument—you tocar an instrument!

Traducir

Traducir(to translate) is a stem-changing verb in the preterite. That means that its "stem," traduc, changes to traduj in all forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	traduje	I translated
tú	tradujiste	you translated	informal singular you
vos	tradujiste	you translated	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	tradujo	he, she translated
usted	tradujo	you translated	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	tradujimos	we translated
vosotros, vosotras	tradujisteis	you translated	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	tradujeron	they translated
ustedes	tradujeron	you translated	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

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

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?

We use the preterite to describe actions completed at a point in the past, especially those with very clear beginnings and ends. For example, we often use the preterite with the following phrases: