Tenses Flashcards
Basic Spanish
Verb Tense
The tense of a verb indicates the time when the action occurs. It may be in the past, present or future.
Present Tense
The present indicative tense is used similarly in Spanish and in English. The main difference is that the present tense is often used in Spanish when one would use the present progressive tense in English. In English, it would be common to say “I am studying Spanish”, while in Spanish one would say “Estudio español” (I study Spanish).
This tense is used to indicate the following:
The verb shows a current action or state of being, expresses a habitual occurrence, general truth, belief, or fact.
Actual Present - This expresses an action that is being done at the very moment. María habla con Juan por teléfono. (‘María is speaking with Juan on the telephone’).
Habitual Present - This expresses an action that is regularly and habitually being done. María llega al campo todos los sábados. (‘María goes to the countryside every Saturday.’)
Atemporal Present - This expresses general truth that are not bounded by time. Dos más dos son cuatro. (‘Two plus two equals four.’) Los planetas giran alrededor del sol. (‘The planets revolve around the sun.’)
Historical Present - This expresses an action that happened in the past but accepted as a historical fact. Fernando Magallanes descubre las Filipinas el 15 de marzo de 1521. (‘Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines on 15 March 1521.’)
An immediate future - This expresses an action that will be done in the very near future with a high degree of certainty. Este junio, viajo a España. (‘This June, I am travelling to Spain.’)
Imperative Value - In some areas of Spain and Hispanic America, the present can be used (with an exclamatory tone) with an imperative value. ¡Ahora te vas y pides disculpas al señor Ruiz! (‘Now go and ask pardon from Mr. Ruiz!’)
Formation:
yo -o -o
tú -as -es
él / ella / usted -a -e
nosotros -amos -emos -imos
ellos / ellas / uds -an -en
Imperfect Tense
One of the two simple past tenses in Spanish. The Imperfect Past tense is used to describe actions or situations that were incomplete or in progress at the point of time in the past. It is most commonly used to describe habitual, customary actions that occur in the past.
e.g., I was [verb]-ing…, I used to [verb]…
Habitual past action - Expresses an action done habitually in an indefinite past. This use does not focus on when the action ended. Cuando era pequeño, hablaba español con mi abuela. (‘When I was young, I used to speak Spanish with my grandmother.’)
Action interrupted by another action - Expresses an action that was in progress when another action took place. Tomábamos la cena cuando Eduardo entró. (‘We were having dinner when Eduardo came in.’)
General description of the past - Expresses a past setting, as, for example, the background for a narrative. Todo estaba tranquilo esa noche. Juan Eduardo miraba el partido de fútbol con su amigo Alejandro. Comían unas porciones de pizza. (‘Everything was calm that night. Juan Eduardo was watching the football match with his friend Alejandro. They were eating some slices of pizza.’)
Formation:
yo -aba -ía -ía
tú -abas -ías -ías
él / ella / usted -aba -ía -ía
nosotros / nosotras -ábamos -íamos -íamos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -aban -ían -ían
Preterite Tense
There are two forms of the past in Spanish.The imperfect past and the preterite past. The preterite indicates that an event took place at some point in the past and it is a completed finished action.
yo: -é -í
tú: -aste -iste
él / ella / usted: -ó -ió
nosotros: -amos -imos
ellos / ellas / uds: -aron -ieron
e.g., I [verb]-ed…
Past Event - An action that was done in the past - Expresses an action that is viewed as a completed event. This use is often accompanied by adverbial expressions of time such as ayer, anteayer, la semana pasada Ayer, encontré la flor que tú me diste. (‘Yesterday, I found the flower that you gave me.’)
Interrupts a Past Action - An action that interrupts another action - Expresses an event that happened (and was completed) while another action was taking place. Tomábamos la cena cuando entró Eduardo. (‘We were having dinner when Eduardo came in.’)
Past Relationship - Expressing a past relationship that is viewed as finished. Las Filipinas fueron parte del Imperio Español. (‘The Philippines were part of the Spanish Empire.’)
Future Tense
The future tense is used to discuss future events, express conjecture or probability about the present (which is different from English, which use expressions like “probably”, “must”, or “I think) and is used for formal commands. The future tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem.
Future action - Expresses an action that will be done in the future. El año próximo, visitaré Buenos Aires. (‘Next year, I shall/will visit Buenos Aires.’)
Uncertainty or Probability - Expresses inference, rather than direct knowledge. ¿Quién estará tocando a la puerta? — Será Fabio. ‘Who (do you suppose) is knocking at the door? — It must be Fabio.’ or ‘Who will that be knocking at the door? — That’ll be Fabio.’
Courtesy ¿Te importará encender la televisión? (‘Would you mind turning on the television?’)
Obligation, command or prohibition. No llevarás a ese hombre a mi casa. (‘Do not bring that man to my house.’ or more accurately ‘You will not bring that man to my house.’ as this form is also used to assert a command, prohibition or obligation in English)
The future tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem. The following endings are attached to it:
yo -é
tú -ás
él / ella / usted -á
nosotros / nosotras -emos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -án
Conditional Tense
The action should’ve, could’ve, or would’ve resulted . . . if the conditions were right . . . theoretically speaking. The conditional tense is used to express a conditional action; to make a polite request or to subtly, or not so subtly, suggest that someone perform a certain action.
The conditional tense is used in a sentence with two verbs, in which one verb states the condition or problem and then the second verb states, in the conditional, what you’d do under that condition or if faced with that problem.
For example, in the sentence, “If I had a million dollars, I’d travel around the world,” the first verb states a situation or condition, and the second verb expresses what you would do if that situation or condition existed.
Generally equivalent to the English construction “would/might + verb” & past tense “if/then” constructions.
As in the case of the future tense, the conditional uses the entire infinitive as a stem. This tense is used to express the following:
Speculation about past events (the speaker’s knowledge is indirect, unconfirmed, or approximating): E.g.: —¿Cuantas personas asistieron a la inauguración del Presidente? — No lo sé; habría unas 5.000. (‘How many people attended the President’s inauguration? — I do not know; there must have been about 5,000.’)
Suggestions: E.g.: Yo que tú, lo olvidaría completamente. (‘If I were you, I would forget him completely.’)
Courtesy: Using this mood softens a request, making it more polite: E.g.: Señor, ¿podría darme una copa de vino? (‘Sir, could you give me a glass of wine?’) Or a polite expression of a desire (using querer): E.g.: Querría ver la película esta semana. (‘I would like to see the film this week.’)
If/then clause whose realization depends on a hypothetical if-clause: Si yo fuera (imperfect sub.) rico, viajaría (conditional) a Sudamérica. (‘If I were rich, I would travel to South America.’).
Future action in relation to the past: Expresses future action that was imagined in the past: E.g.: Cuando era (imperfect ind.) pequeño, pensaba (imperfect ind.) que me gustaría (conditional) ser médico. (‘When I was young, I thought that I would like to be a doctor.’)
The conditional tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem. The following endings are attached to it:
yo -ía
tú -ías
él / ella / usted -ía
nosotros / nosotras -íamos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -ían
Present Progressive Tense
Equivalent to the English construction “is/are [verb]-ing” suffix.
AR / ER & IR
Yo: Estoy (root) -ando/iendo
Tú: Estás (root) -ando/iendo
Él, ella, usted: Está (root) -ando/iendo
Nosotros: Estamos (root) -ando/iendo
Ellos, ellas, ustedes: Están (root) -ando/iendo
Compound (Perfect) Tenses
All the compound tenses are formed with haber followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Haber changes its form for person, number, etc., while the past participle remains invariable, ending with -o regardless of the number or gender of the subject.
Present Perfect Tense
The present indicative of haber is used followed by the past participle of the main verb. It refers to a completed action and generally does not specify the details of that action. For example:
- He nadado en el Golfo de México.
- I have swum in the Gulf of Mexico.
We don’t know exactly when this person swam in the Gulf of Mexico. We only know that he or she has done it at some point in the past. Generally, when the specific details of a past event are mentioned the preterite is used.
A common use of the present perfect is when one is expressing the idea of having done something within a period of time that has not yet finished. For example:
- Hemos hablado mucho esta semana.
- We’ve spoken a lot this week.
One difference regarding the use of the present perfect is that, unlike in English, no words can come between the auxiliary (haber) and the past participle in Spanish.
In most of Spanish America, this tense has virtually the same use as the English present perfect.
- Te he dicho mi opinión.
- I have told you my opinion.
(yo) **he **+ past participle
(tú) **has **+ past participle
(él / ella / usted) **ha **+ past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) hemos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) han + past participle
Past Perfect (pluperfect)
The imperfect form of haber is used with the past participle of the main verb to express a past action that occurred prior to another past action.
e.g., had + [past participle] …
- I had been waiting for three hours when he arrived.
- Yo había esperado tres horas cuando él llegó.
(yo) había + past participle
(tú) habías + past participle
(él / ella / usted) había + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) habíamos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) habían + past participle
Future perfect tense
The future perfect in Spanish is used the same as in English, to convey an action or a state that will have been done in the future:
- Mañana habré terminado mi novela.
- Tomorrow I will have finished my novel.
The future perfect can express probability or conjecture in the past (just like the future can express probability or conjecture in the present):
- ¿Qué habrán comido los niños?
- I wonder what the children / have eaten / ate.
This tense is used to indicate a future action that will be finished right before another future action.
- Cuando yo llegue a la fiesta, ya se habrán marchado todos.
- When I arrive at the party, everybody will have left already.
The future perfect is formed with the future indicative form of haber followed by the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) habré + past participle
(tú) habrás + past participle
(él / ella / usted) habrá + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) habremos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) habrán + past participle
Conditional Perfect Tense
The conditional perfect is used to make statements that are contrary to reality (a hypothetical past action). Something would, or would not, have happened if some condition had been met. As an example, “I would have done the assignment last night, if I had only taken my notebook with me to the party.”
- I would have spoken if they had given me the chance.
- Yo habría hablado si me hubieran dado la oportunidad.
(Formation: conditional perfect + subjunctive past perfect)
The conditional perfect can also be used to express probability or conjecture about the completion of an action prior to some point in the past:
- He would have won the lottery before purchasing that mansion.
- El habría sacado la gorda antes de comprar aquella mansion.
(yo) **habría **+ past participle
(tú) habrías + past participle
(él / ella / usted) **habría **+ past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) habríamos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) habrían + past participle
Preterite Perfect Tense
The pluperfect and preterit perfect tenses in Spanish have identical translations in English.
The differences center less on conceptual distinctions and more on the contexts in which they’re used. The preterit perfect is used primarily in formal or literary Spanish.
The past perfect or pluperfect is conversational and is used in everyday speech to describe a past action that happened prior to another past action.
(yo) hube + past participle
(tú) hubiste + past participle
(él / ella / usted) **hubo **+ past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) hubimos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) hubieron + past participle
Subjunctive Tense
The subjunctive mood has a separate conjugation table with fewer tenses. It is used almost exclusively in subordinate clauses to express the speaker’s opinion or judgment, such as doubts, possibilities, emotions, and events that may or may not occur.
The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed with the endings…
The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed with the endings…
yo -e -a
tú -es -as
él / ella / usted -e -a
nosotros / nosotras -emos -amos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -en -an
Imperfect Subjunctive
I was / you were…
yo -ara -iera
tú / vos -aras -ieras
él / ella / usted -ara -iera
nosotros / nosotras -áramos -iéramos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -aran -ieran
The imperfect subjunctive can be formed with either of two sets of endings: the “-ra endings” or the “-se endings”. In Spanish America, the -ra forms are virtually the only forms used, to the exclusion of the -se forms. In Spain, both sets of forms are used, but the -ra forms predominate there also.
Future Subjunctive Tense
The future subjunctive tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem. The following endings are attached to it:
yo -e
tú -es
él / ella / usted -e
nosotros / nosotras -emos
ellos / ellas / ustedes -en
The present pefect subjunctive of regular verbs is formed…
The present subjunctive form of haber is used with the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) **haya **+ past participle
(tú) hayas + past participle
(él / ella / usted) haya + past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) hayamos + past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) hayan + past participle
The past pefect subjunctive of regular verbs is formed…
The imperfect subjunctive form of haber is used with the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) **hubiera **+ past participle
(tú) **hubieras **+ past participle
(él / ella / usted) **hubiera **+ past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) **hubiéramos **+ past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) **hubieran **+ past participle
The future pefect subjunctive of regular verbs is formed…
The future subjunctive form of haber is used with the past participle of the main verb.
(yo) **hubiere **+ past participle
(tú) **hubieres **+ past participle
(él / ella / usted) **hubiere **+ past participle
(nosotros / nosotras) **hubiéremos **+ past participle
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) **hubieren **+ past participle
Present indicative tense of estar
I am…
estoy
estás
está
estamos
están
