How to pronounce preterite
American English pronunciation
PRET-er-it
- IPA
- /ˈpɹɛtɚɪt/
- Syllables
- PRET · er · it (3 syllables, stress on the 1st)
Love words? Try a free round: no sign-up, about two minutes. Play free
What preterite means
The simple past tense of a verb, like jumped or ate
In a sentence: In "Sam ran home," the verb ran is in the preterite.
Where it comes from: It came through French from the Latin praeteritum, meaning gone by, from Latin words meaning to go past.
Can you spot the real meaning? Try one
Loading a word…
Can you spot the real meaning? Play Wordfib
One free round, no sign-up. Wordfib shows a word and four meanings: one real, three fibs.