How to distinguish between third person present vs first person past in spanish?

Answer 1

The conjugation endings in the third person present are either "a" for ar verbs or "e" for ir and er verbs. example - habla (from the verb hablar) vive (from the verb vivir) corre (from the verb correr)

The "past" in Spanish is a little more complex, because there are TWO past tenses. In the "simple past" (known as the preterite or el preterito), the ending in the first person is usually é (note the accent) for ar verbs, and í (again, the accent) for er and ir verbs. So the above verbs are hablé, viví, and corrí. This tense is normally used to talk about events that start and end in the past.

The "other" past concerns continuous or habitual events in the past - the "used to" or "was doing" tense. It is known as the imperfect (el imperfecto). In this tense the endings are aba (for ar verbs) and ía (for ir and er verbs - again, note the accent). This is also the most regular tense in Spanish. For the examples - hablaba, vivía, corría.