Past tense Spanish

Question 1

Simple Past Spanish Preterite

Answer 1

The simple past tense is used to talk about past actions that were already completed, with clear beginnings or endings.
I studied the whole night – Estudié toda la noche
We sold our house last month – Vendimos nuestra casa el mes pasado
We ate pizza last night – Anoche comimos pizza
I lost the keys again – Perdí las llaves otra vez
France won the World Cup – Francia ganó la Copa Mundial de Fútbol

Question 2

Imperfect Past Tense Spanish (Imperfect Preterite or Imperfecto)

Answer 2

To speak about past actions that were habitual
To speak about an ongoing past action that was interrupted
To describe past characteristics (age, height, etc)
To describe past conditions
To describe past feelings

Question 3

Past Progressive Spanish (Pasado Progresivo)

Answer 3

The past progressive tense is a simple way to speak about a continuous action that took place in the past – normally within a more recent time frame.
This “-ing” tense is used in the exact same way that we use the English equivalent every day

I was working
She was eating
They were arriving

Subject + ESTAR verb (imperfect past tense) + Progressive verb

I was working – Estaba trabajando

Question 4

Present Perfect Spanish (Presente Perfecto)

Answer 4

We use the present perfect tense to talk about past actions that are still connected to the present, or probably still happening.

I have gone to Spain many times – He ido a España muchas veces
They have done all their homework – Ellos han hecho todas sus tareas
I have visited my cousins – He visitado a mis primos
To use this tense, all you need to do is remember the following formula:

Auxiliary verb “haber” in simple present + past participle of the action verb.

We have lived in Latin America for some years – Hemos vivido en América Latina por algunos años
Have you seen all the Marvel movies? – ¿Has visto todas las películas de Marvel?
I have bought a new car for you – He comprado un carro nuevo para ti

Question 5

Past Perfect Spanish (Pluscuamperfecto del Indicativo)

Answer 5

The past perfect Spanish tense is normally used when talking about an action that took place before something else happened in the past.

Let’s see how this tense works with some examples:

They had done a good job before they left – Habían hecho un buen trabajo antes de irse.
We had taken many pictures but we lost the memory card – Habíamos tomado muchas fotos pero perdimos la memoria
I had slept a bit before running – Yo había dormido un poco antes de ir a correr
To use this tense, you need to follow a formula similar to the one we covered in the last section, only this time, the verb “haber” will be conjugated in the imperfect tense.

Auxiliary verb “haber” in the imperfect tense + past participle of the action verb

Here are some examples:

I had written some articles for the magazine – Yo había escrito algunos artículos para la revista
You had prepared the meal for all of us before going out – Habías hecho la cena para todos nosotros antes de salir
The students had read that book already – Los estudiantes ya habían leído ese libro