4th Edition Spanish Ch. 11 Flashcards
The preterite and the imperfect
The preterite and the imperfect
The preterite and the imperfect are not interchangeable. The choice between these two tenses depends on the context and on the point of view of the speaker.
True
Uses of the preterite
Uses of the preterite
Don Francisco estacionó el autobús.
Don Fransisco parked the bus.
Fueron a Valparaíso ayer.
They went to Valparaíso yesterday.
La película empezó a las nueve.
The movie began at nine o’clock.
Ayer terminé el proyecto
Yesterday I finished the project
Don Fransisco paró el autobús, abrió la ventanilla y saludó a doña Rita.
Don Fransisco stopped the bus, opened the window, and greeted Doña Rita.
Uses of the imperfect
Uses of the imperfect
Maite conducía muy rápido en Madrid.
Maite was driving very fast in Madrid.
Javier esperaba en el garaje.
Javier was waiting in the garage.
Cuando era joven, jugaba al tenis.
When I was young, I used to play tennis.
Álex siempre revisaba su correo electrónico a las tres.
Álex always checked his e-mail messages at three o’clock.
La chica quería descansar. Se sentía mal y tenía dolor de cabeza.
The girl wanted to rest. She felt ill and had a headache.
Ellos eran altos y tenían ojos verdes.
They were tall and had green eyes.
Estábamos felices de ver a la familia.
We were happy to see the family.
When the preterite and the imperfect appear in the same sentence, the imperfect describes what was happening, while the preterite describes the action the “interupted” the ongoing activity.
True
Navegaba en la red cuando sonó el teléfono.
I was surfing the Web when the phone rang.
Maite leía el periódico cuando llegó Álex.
Maite was reading the newspaper when Álex arrived.
The imperfect provides background information, such as time, weather, and location. The preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.
True
Eran las dos de la mañana y el detective ya no podía mantenerse despierto. Se bajó lentamente del coche, estiró las piernas y levantó los brazos hacía el cielo oscuro.
It was two in the morning, and the detective could no longer stay awake. He slowly stepped out of the car, stretched his legs, and raised his arms toward the dark sky.
La luna estaba llena y no habla en el cielo ni una sola nube. De repente, el detective escuchó un grito espeluznante proveniente del parque.
The moon was full and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Suddenly, the detective heard a terrifying scream, coming from the park.
Por and para
Por and para
Both por and para mean for, but they are not interchangeable.
True
Uses of por
Uses of por
La excursión nos llevó por El Centro.
The tour took us through downtown.
Pasamos por el parque y por el río.
We passed by the park and along the river.
Estuve en Montevideo por un mes.
I was in Montevideo for a month.
Miguel estudió por la noche.
Miguel studied during the night.
Vengo por ti a las ocho.
I’m coming for you at eight.
Maite fue por su cámara.
Maite went in search of her camera.
Ellos viajan por la autopista.
They travel by (by way of) the highway.
¿Hablaste con la policía por teléfono?
Did you talk to the police by (on the) phone?
Le di dinero por el estéreo.
I gave him money for the stereo.
Cambiamos este carro por uno nuevo.
We exchanged this car for a new one.
José manejaba a 120 kilómetros por hora.
José was driving 120 kilometers per hour.
Por is used in several idiomatic expressions.
True
Por aquí
Around here
Por ejemplo
For example
Por eso
That’s why; therefore
Por fin
Finally
When giving an exact time, de is used instead of por before la mañana, la tarde, and la noche.
True
Llegué a las Díez de la noche.
I arrived at ten p.m.
Me gusta estudiar por la noche.
I like to study at night.
Uses of para
Uses of para
Salimos para Mérida el sábado.
We are leaving for Mérida on Saturday.
Voy para el banco.
I’m going to the bank.
Él va a arreglar el carro para el viernes.
He will fix the car by Friday.
Juan estudia para (ser) mecánico.
Juan is studying to be a mechanic.
Es una llanta para el carro.
It’s tire for the car.
Uso mi celular para ver mi correo electrónico.
I use my cell phone to read my e-mail.
Compré una calculadora para mí hijo.
I bought a calculator for my son.
Para ser joven, es demasiado serío.
For a young person, he is too serious.
Para mí, está lección no es difícil.
For me, this lesson isn’t difficult.
Sara trabaja para Telecom.
Sara works for Telecom.
Often, either por or para can be used in a sentence. The meaning of the sentence changes, depending on which one is used.
True
Caminé por el parque.
I walked through the park.
Trabajó por su padre.
He worked for (in place of) his father.
Se exhibió por todo el pueblo.
It was shown throughout (around) the whole town.
Caminé para el parque.
I walked to (toward) the park.
Trabajó para su padre.
He worked for his father’s (business)
Se exhibió para todo el pueblo.
It was shown for the whole town.
Stressed possessive adjectives and pronouns.
Stressed possessive adjectives and pronouns.
Spanish has two types of possessive adjectives: the unstressed (short) forms and the stressed (long) forms. The stressed possessive adjectives are used for emphasis or to express (of) mine, (of) yours, (of) his, and so on.
True
Mío/mía
My
Míos/mías
Mine
Tuyo/tuya
Your
Tuyos/tuyas
Yours
Suyo/suya
Your; his; her
Suyos/suyas
His; hers; its
Nuestro/nuestra
Our
Nuestros/nuestras
Ours
Vuestro/vuestra
Your
Vuestros/vuestras
Yours
Suyo/suya
Your; their
Suyos/suyas
Yours; theirs
