9 Past Tenses Explanations Flashcards
COMPARE: PRETERITE TENSE The preterite tense generally is used to describe an event that happened at a specific point in time and was completed;.
I broke my arm. Me rompí el brazo.
WITH: IMPERFECT TENSE: Preterito Imperfecto
Verbarrator: Imperfect
The imperfect is used in telling of events that happened continually, habitually or over an indefinite period of time.
I was there - (over a period) Yo estaba allí;
I USED TO be there Yo estaba allí;
“fui a tu casa a las ocho” I went to your house - (at a specific time).
“iba a tu casa” I “USED TO” go to your house — or I would go to your house (referring to past) — or I (USUALLY ) went to your house (regularly)
Mike’s “used to” or “was” tense
PRETERITE TENSE:
“la conocí” I met her (single event)
PRETERITO IMPERFECTO:
“la conocia” I knew her (over a period of time).
I knew her when she was young
La conocí cuando era joven
PRETERITE:
Past action that happened a fixed point in time, a specific number of times ? or during an enclosed amount of time.
FUI,—- ESTUBE, — HABLÉ, — COMÍ
In that period we went to Madrid
En ese periodo fuimos a Madrid
PRETERITO IMPERFECTO:
TEACH ME 123: Imperfect
Non specific or continuous past action that took place repeatedly OR over an extended period of time. “used to” “ was + ing” “would always”
ERA, ESTABA, – HABLABA, COMÍA
PRETERITE
Definition: The verb tense that expresses action taking place at a definite time in the past. The preterite is the tense that would normally be thought of as the simple past tense in English.
Also known as: simple past tense, PRETERITO INDEFINIDO or pretérito perfecto simple in Spanish
TEACH ME 123: Preterite
COLLINS: Preterite
PRETERITO INDEFINIDO se usa para relatar acciones ocurridas en un pasado concreto, no relacionada con el
FUI, ESTUVE, HABLÉ, COMÍ
IMPERFECT
The tense that expresses action in the past that has not been completed, that occurred habitually or frequently or that took place over an indefinite period of time.
Usamos el Préterito Imperfecto para describir las circumstancias que rodean a un (acontecimiento= an event) pasado
rodear—(to surround)
WAS TENSE
ERA, —- ESTABA, — HABLABA — COMÍA — HACÍA
DEBER
Use of verb —to be obligated.
DEBER in** Preterite:** expresses the idea that something should have happened.
Mike debe haberse ido.
Mike debió ir.
Mike must have gone.
Mike should have left (by now)
Mike debió salir.
Strong likelihood that something has happened. Mike must have left
DEBER in the Imperfect: expresses the idea that something should occur.
Mike should/must leave Mike debía salir GT, R
Mike had to leave (It was necessary that he should leave)
Use of verb
PODER
PODER in Preterite Usually means “managed to” or “was able to”
Pudo salvar el gato = He was able to save the cat.
Pudo continuar después de sufrir una lesión.
She was able to continue after suffering an injury,
PODER in the Imperfect Often used to mean “could”
Muchas veces no podía salir = He frequently couldn’t leave.
Many times I couldn’t get out.
PRÉTERITO PERFECTO: Present Perfect in most grammars
COLLINS calls it: the Perfect tense
TEACH ME 123: Present Perfect
Mike calls it the “HAVE” Tense
Despite its name, the Present Perfect tense in Spanish (and English as well) is used to refer to events that happened in the past.
THE HAVE TENSE
“HAVE TENSE”
TEACH ME 123: ** Present Perfect**
In Spanish, the PRESENT PERFECT OR “HAVE” tense is formed by the present tense of HABER ::: Followed by the past participle:
Followed by the past participle:
HE SIDO,
HE ESTADO –
HE HABLADO
HE COMIDO
“HAVE TENSE”
The HAVE tense
Implies completed action in a recent scope of time, including the present but not time specific - like the Preterite.
He, Has ,Ha, Hemos, Habeis, Han
plus
+ Past Participle - using only “–ado”, or “–ido”
El preterito perfecto (the HAVE tense) se forma con el presente del auxilar verbo HABER y el participio pasado
He hablado
He comido
He vivido
Collins Perfect
123 Present Perfect
We use the perfect preterit (IMPERFECT) to refer to actions or events that occurred (EVENTS) at an undefined past moment.
Collins “what things were like or what people felt”
Markers: was
used to
…….. ing
Past Perfect or Pluperfect
Collins uses both
Mike calls it the “HAD” Tense
Había Comido - I had eaten
Había Hablado - I had spoken
Describes action or event that happened before another past action, always a stated or implied cutoff in the past. A verb tense to indicate that an action was completed at some specified or implied time in the past. (About.com)
HABÍA SIDO - I had been
HABÍA ESTADO
HABÍA HABLADO,
HABÍA COMIDO
El pluscuamperfecto se forma con el Imperfecto del auxilar verbo HABER y el participio pasado
Usamos este tiempo para marcar que una acción pasada es anterior a otra acción ya mencionada.
We use this time to mark that a past action is prior to another already mentioned action.
When we arrived at the theatre the play/function had begun
The HAD tense
Cuando llegamos al teatro ya HABÍA EMPEZADO la función.
