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Get to know Preterite better with 5 real example sentences, the meaning and synonyms like past.

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Preterite in a sentence

Preterite meaning

  1. Showing an action at a determined moment in the past.
  2. Belonging wholly to the past; passed by.

Synonyms of Preterite

preterit past past tense

Related words

Other words often associated with Preterite or its synonyms:

tense ago outgoing departed other ancient gone late bypast former agone future

Using Preterite

  • The main meaning on this page is: Showing an action at a determined moment in the past. | Belonging wholly to the past; passed by.
  • Useful related words include: preterit, past, past tense.
  • In the example corpus, preterite often appears in combinations such as: the preterite.

Context around Preterite

  • Average sentence length in these examples: 25.2 words
  • Position in the sentence: 2 start, 3 middle, 0 end
  • Sentence types: 5 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations

Often before:

except 1× old 1× corresponding 1×

Often after:

past 1× class 1×

Sentence patterns with Preterite

These short patterns come directly from the example sentences and show how the word is often embedded:

all except preterite class vi 1× past or preterite the preterite 1× preterite the preterite and imperfect 1× redundantly the preterite past and 1× the corresponding preterite if any 1× the old preterite at least 1× the preterite is also 1×

Sentence openings and endings

Common sentence openings:

all except preterite 1× the imperative classes 1× the preterite is 1× the simple one 1×

Common sentence endings:

and imperfect past 1× different meanings cf 1× le passé simple 1× verb s subjunctive 1× with significant innovations 1×

Words around Preterite

Just before it in the word index:

preterists 7 preterist 4 preterism 8 pretentiousness 11 pretentiously 2 pretentious 85

Just after it in the word index:

preterm 46 preternatural 13 preternaturally 13 pretests 2 pretext 246 pretexts 18

Similar in corpus frequency:

aaas 7 aacc 7 aacs 7 aafes 7 aah 7 aankh 7

Corpus analysis for Preterite

  • In this selection, "preterite" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 25.2 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
  • Around the word, except, old, corresponding, past and class stand out and add context to how "preterite" is used.
  • Recognizable usage signals include all except preterite class vi and past or preterite the preterite. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
  • By corpus frequency, "preterite" sits close to words such as aaas, aacc and aacs, which helps place it inside the broader word index.

Example types with preterite

The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:

Short example sentences

The preterite is also called the simple past, a translation of its French name (le passé simple). (17 words)

All except preterite class VI have a common set of endings that stem from the PIE perfect endings, although with significant innovations. (22 words)

In some, it has taken the place of the old preterite (at least in the vernacular); in others, the two coexist with somewhat different meanings (cf. (26 words)

Longer example sentences

The simple (one-word) forms are commonly referred to as the present, the simple past or preterite The preterite and imperfect are sometimes called, somewhat redundantly, the preterite past and imperfect past. (32 words)

The imperative classes tend to share the same suffix as the corresponding preterite (if any), but to have root vocalism that matches the vocalism of a verb's subjunctive. (29 words)

In some, it has taken the place of the old preterite (at least in the vernacular); in others, the two coexist with somewhat different meanings (cf. (26 words)

Example sentences (5)

The simple (one-word) forms are commonly referred to as the present, the simple past or preterite The preterite and imperfect are sometimes called, somewhat redundantly, the preterite past and imperfect past.

All except preterite class VI have a common set of endings that stem from the PIE perfect endings, although with significant innovations.

In some, it has taken the place of the old preterite (at least in the vernacular); in others, the two coexist with somewhat different meanings (cf.

The imperative classes tend to share the same suffix as the corresponding preterite (if any), but to have root vocalism that matches the vocalism of a verb's subjunctive.

The preterite is also called the simple past, a translation of its French name (le passé simple).

Common combinations with preterite

These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:

Frequently asked questions

How do you use "preterite" in a sentence?
An example: "The simple (one-word) forms are commonly referred to as the present, the simple past or preterite The preterite and imperfect are sometimes called, somewhat redundantly, the preterite past and imperfect past." This page contains 5 example sentences with the word "preterite" from authentic English texts.
What does "preterite" mean?
Preterite means: Showing an action at a determined moment in the past.
What are synonyms of "preterite"?
Common synonyms of "preterite" include: preterit, past, past tense.
How many example sentences with "preterite" are there?
Voorbeeldzinnen.info contains 5 example sentences with "preterite", drawn from a database of millions of English sentences.