© boardworks ltd 2005 1 of 43 the preterite tense the imperfect tense using the imperfect and...

© Boardworks Ltd 20051 of 43

The preterite tense

The imperfect tense

Using the imperfect andpreterite together

The imperfect continuous

Grammar 3


The PRETERITE tense is used to talk about completed actions in the

past. It is used:

1. in telling stories and for non descriptive events.

2. for actions that were completed in the past. (FINISHED events)

3. for actions in the past which happened only once. (SINGLE events)

• for actions that were repeated but finished in the past. (REPEATED events)

• for actions that were part of a chain of events. (CHAIN events)

• for actions that took place over a specific period of time. It can be used with the following expressions of time: ayer, anteayer, la semana pasada, el mes/año pasado, el otro día, hace dos días/semanas/meses, el domingo, en 1950, en Navidad…

Examples: Viví cinco años en Madrid. I lived in Madrid for five years.

Él cenó, vio la tele y se acostó. He had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Ayer te llamé por teléfono. I rang you yesterday.

The preterite tense 1


There are two sets of regular endings to learn:1. -AR 2. -ER/ -IRAs with other tenses you have to:1. take the infinitive.2. take off the infinitive ending. 3. add the endings for the tense.

-AR endings

-é-aste-ó-amos-asteis-aron

-ER / -IR endings

-í-iste-ió-imos-isteis-ieron

Notice the ‘we’ending in –ARand –IR verbs is the same asin the presenttense.



hablar = to speak / talk

habl

habl

habl

habl

habl

habl

Regular -AR verbs

é

aste

ó

amos

asteis

aron

I spoke, I did speak.

You spoke, you did speak.

He /she/ it spoke, did speak.

We spoke, we did speak.

You spoke, you did speak.

They spoke, they did speak.



Choose 3 of the verbs below and write them out in full:

aceptar = to accept cantar = to sing llenar = to fill amar = to love charlar = to chat llorar= to cryarreglar = to fix dibujar = to draw mirar = to look

atayudar = to help entrar = to go in saltar =

to jumpbajar = to go down ganar = to win viajar = to

travelbailar = to dance lavar = to wash

Regular -AR verbsThe preterite tense 4


comer = to eat

com

com

com

com

com

com

í

iste

ió

imos

isteis

ieron

Regular -ER verbs

I ate, I did eat.

You ate, you did eat.

He / she / it ate, did eat.

We ate, we did eat.

You ate, you did eat.

They ate, they did eat.



beber = to drink meter = to put

correr = to run vender = to sell

coser = to sew

Regular -ER verbsThe preterite tense 7

Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.


ABRIR= to open

abr

abr

abr

abr

abr

abr

í

iste

ió

imos

isteis

ieron

Regular -IR verbs

I opened, I did open.

You opened, you did open.

He / she / it opened, did open.

We opened, we did open.

You opened, you did open.

They opened, they did open.



Like ABRIR

batir = to beat escribir = to write

cubrir = to cover permitir = to allow recibir = to receive

Regular -IR verbsThe preterite tense 10

Practise saying or writing out these other verbs.


explicar = to explain

expliqué I explainedexplicaste you explainedexplicó he/she/it explainedexplicamos we explainedexplicasteis you explainedexplicaron they explained

The first group of irregular verbs are only slightly irregular as they show stem changes* in the first person singular only. There are three types:1. Verbs which end in –GAR change to GUÉ2. Verbs which end in –CAR change to QUÉ3. Verbs which end in –ZAR change to CÉ

jugar = to play

jugué I playedjugaste you playedjugó he/she/it playedjugamos we playedjugasteis you playedjugaron they played

cruzar = to cross

crucé I crossedcruzaste you crossedcruzó he/she/it crossedcruzamos we crossedcruzasteis you crossedcruzaron they crossed

Stem changing verbsThe preterite tense 12


apagar = to put out acercarse = to approachcazar = to hunt cargar = to load atacar = to attack empezar = to begindescargar = to unload buscar = to look for organizar = to organize entregar = to hand over secar = to dry rezar = to prayllegar = to arrive pescar = to fish utilizar = to use navegar = to sail chocar contra = to crash into pagar = to pay sacar = to take out regar= to water marcar = to score a goal, tocar= to touch dial a number almorzar = to have lunch

Stem changing verbs

The following verbs work in the same way. Can you write out three of them in full?



For verbs ending in -aer, -eer, -oír and -oer changes occur in the 3rd person forms (singular & plural): -ió changes to -yo; -ieron changes to -yeron. For verbs ending in -uir changes occur in the same way.

Verb 1st person 3rd person 3rd person singular singular plural

caer* = to fall caí cayó cayeroncreer* = to believe creí creyó creyeronleer* = to read leí leyó leyeronoír* = to hear oí oyó oyeronroer* = to nibble roí royó royerondestruir = to destroy destruí destruyó destruyeron construir = to build construí construyó construyeronhuir = to run away huí huyó huyeron

Stem changing verbsThe preterite tense 14


Stem change verbs

-ar and -er verbs that change their stem in the present tense do not change in the preterite.

Present Preterite cierro cerrécierras cerrastecierra cerrócerramos cerramoscerráis cerrasteiscierran cerraron

-ir verbs that change their stem in the present do change in the preterite. 1. o > u – the first change is o > u and it occurs in the third person forms (singular & plural).

DORMIR durmió durmierondormí

MORIR morí murió murieron



The second stem change group in -ir verbs.

PEDIR pedí pidió pidieron

En el restaurante Paco pidió tortilla de jamón.Paco asked for ham omelette in the restaurant.

Mis amigos pidieron una paella enorme.My friends ordered an enormous paella.

2. e > i Changes also occur in the third person forms (singular & plural).


PREFERIR preferí prefirió prefirieron


What would the third person singular and plural be for each of the verbs below?

despedirse de = to say goodbye todivertirse = to enjoy oneselfhervir = to boilpedir = to ask forpreferir = to preferrendirse = to surrenderrepetir = to repeatseguir = to followsentir = to feel, to be sorryservir = to servevestirse = to get dressed

se despidió se despidieron se divirtió se divirtieronhirvió hirvieronpidió pidieronprefirió prefirieronrindió rindieronrepitió repitieronsiguió siguieronsintió sintieronsirvió sirvieronse vistió se vistieron



The last group of irregular verbs in the preterite tense is easy once you have learnt the first person singular!

PONER = to put

puse

pusiste

puso

pusimos

pusisteis

pusieron

There are no accents on these verbs. Just learn the first person and then put the endings on the new stem. The endings are almost the same as for regular –er and –ir verbs. Can you spot the differences?

I put

You put

He / she / it put

We put

You put

They put



Verbs which follow the same pattern as poner:

Verb stem 1st personandar - to walk anduv anduveestar - to be estuv estuveobtener - to obtain obtuv obtuvetener - to have tuv tuvehacer - to do hic hicepoder - to be able pud pudesaber - to know sup supesuponer - to suppose supus supusevenir - to come vin vinequerer - to love/want quis quiseconducir - to drive conduj condujetraer - to bring traj trajeproducir - to produce produj produjedecir* - to say dij dije

Endings-e-iste-o-imos-isteis-ieron

Note:hacer has a different stem in the 3rd person singular - hizo



hacer = to do / make

hice I did / I madehiciste You did / you madehizo He/she/it did / madehicimos We did / we madehicisteis You did / you madehicieron They did / they made

estar = to be

estuve I wasestuviste You wereestuvo He/she/it wasestuvimos We wereestuvisteis You were estuvieron They were

ser = to be + ir = to go

I was fui I wentYou were fuiste You wentHe/she/it was fue He/she/ it went We were fuimos We wentYou were fuisteis You wentThey were fueron They went

Notice ser and ir share the same forms

Some very important verbs!The preterite tense 20


1. Yesterday I went to the cinema. 2. It was a fantastic film.3. Before I went to the cinema I did my homework.4. He was a great soldier and a wonderful father.5. My grandfather went to Australia in 1960.6. They went to the hairdresser’s.7. The boys made their beds for the first time!8. It was a great day and the weather was very

good.

estar, ir, hacer and ser

Practise using the preterite of estar, ir, hacer and ser by writing out these sentences in Spanish.



1. Ayer fui al cine.2. Fue una película fenomenal.3. Antes de ir al cine hice los deberes.4. Fue un gran soldado y un padre maravilloso.5. Mi abuelo se fue a Australia en mil novecientos sesenta

(1960).6. Fueron a la peluquería.7. ¡Por primera vez los chicos hicieron sus camas! 8. Fue un día fantástico e hizo muy buen tiempo.

estar, ir, hacer and serThe preterite tense 22


The imperfect tense is used to talk about the past. Whereas the preterite describes a single completed action in the past, the imperfect tense...

• describes something that happened frequently or regularly in the past.

• is used for descriptions in the past, such as describing what the weather was like or giving your opinion of something you did (characteristics of people, things or conditions).

• tells us what something used to be like.

• describes something that went on for a long period of time.

• is used for telling the time.

• is used for telling one’s age.

The imperfect tense 1


This tense is used in the following different ways:

1. To describe actions, people or things in the past.2. To describe an action that started in the past and was

going on or continued in the past. 3. To describe actions that used to be done frequently in the

past.• To describe thing(s) which were going on in the past

before another event started. • For telling the time. • For telling one’s age.

The imperfect tense translates any of the following English clue words or phrases:

I was eating. We were talking. I used to eat. She was an interesting teacher.



1. General descriptions in the past.

Example: La casa era enorme.

The house was enormous.

Describing what the weather was like.

Example: De vez en cuando hacía sol.

From time to time it was sunny.

Giving your opinion of something you did.

Example: Comí pollo, estaba muy rico.

I ate chicken, it was delicious.

Main uses of the imperfect



2. Saying what something used to be or would be like.

Examples:

– Cuando era joven, comía muchos caramelos.When I was young, I used to eat lots of sweets.

– Cuando visitábamos a nuestros parientes nos daban regalos y revistas.When we used to visit our relatives they would give us presents and magazines.

Both of these examples describe things and events that were repeated in the past.



3. Describing something that happened frequently or regularly in the past.

Examples:

– Cuando tenía 10 diez años, hacía natación dos veces por semana.

When I was 10 years old, I went swimming twice a week.

– Durante mis vacaciones del verano pasado me levantaba temprano, desayunaba e iba a la playa.

During my holidays last summer I used to get up early, have breakfast and go to the beach.



4. Describing something that went on for a long period of time.

Examples:

– Cuando era joven, vivía en el campo y teníamos dos gatos.

When I was young, I lived in the country and we had two cats.

– Cuando íbamos al campo podía nadar en el río y dar un paseo.

When we went to the country I could swim in the river and go for a walk.




5. For telling the time.

Example:

– Eran las dos de la mañana.

It was two o’clock in the morning.

6. For telling one’s age.

Example:

– El niño tenía tres años.

The boy was three years old.


7. Was…doing and were…doing

If you want to translate was or were doing something, you must use the imperfect tense. These are the clue phrases that help you identify the tense and mean you must use the imperfect tense.

Examples:

– Hacía los deberes cuando mi madre regresó a la casa.

I was doing my homework when my mother came home.

– Jugábamos al fútbol cuando empezó a llover.

We were playing football when it started to rain.




There are a number of useful words that can indicate the

use of the imperfect.

a menudo por aquel entonces

algunas veces siempre

cada día/semana/mes/año todos los días/meses/años

con frecuencia todos las semanas

de vez en cuando varias veces

frecuentemente

muchas veces


Regular verbs

The imperfect tense is quite easy to form and has very few irregular parts. There are only two sets of endings to learn and only three irregular verbs.

Formation of the imperfect tense

Take the following steps: 1. Take the infinitive of the verb you wish to use. 2. Take off the -AR, -ER or -IR. 3. Add the endings.

-AR endings: -aba -abas -aba -ábamos -abais -aban. -ER / IR endings: -ía -ías -ía -íamos -íais -ían.



All regular -AR verbs are formed in the following way.

HABLAR= to speak / talk

habl

habl

habl

habl

habl

habl

aba

abas

aba

abais

ábamos

aban

I talked, I was talking, I used to talk.

You talked, you were talking, you used to talk.

He / she / it talked, was talking, used to talk.

We talked, we were talking, we used to talk.

You talked, you were talking, you used to talk.

They talked, they were talking, they used to talk



All regular -ER and -IR verbs are formed in the following way.

COMER = to eat

com

com

com

com

com

com

ía

ías

ía

íamos

ían

íais

I ate, I was eating, I used to eat.

You ate, you were eating, you used to eat.

He / she / it ate, was eating, used to eat.

We ate, we were eating, we used to eat.

You ate, you were eating, you used to eat.

They ate, they were eating, they used to eat.



ía

ías

ía

íamos

íais

ían

abr

abr

abr

abr

abr

abr

I opened, was opening, I used to open.

You opened, were opening, you used to open.

He / she/ it / opened, was opening, used to open.

We opened, we were opening, we used to open.

You opened, you were opening, you used to open.

They opened, they were opening, they used to open.


ABRIR= to open


The good news about the imperfect tense is that all of the verbs except three are regular. The three irregular verbs are SER, IR and VER.

VER = to see

veía I saw, used to see. veías you saw, used to see. veía he / she / it saw, used to see. veíamos we saw, used to see. veíais you saw, used to see. veían they saw, used to see.

leer = to read also does this. leía I read, used to read

SER = to be

era I was, used to be.eras you were, used to be. era he / she / it was, used to be.éramos we were, used to be.erais you were, used to be.eran they were, used to be.

IR = to go

iba I went, used to go.ibas you went, used to go. iba he / she / it went, used to go.íbamos we went, used to go.ibais you went, used to go.iban they went, used to go.



To summarize:The imperfect tense is used for descriptions in the past and the meaning of the imperfect tense can change according to context and use.

(Yo) Iba a Madrid. Could mean:

1. I went to Madrid. Repeated action.2. I was going to Madrid. Action begun in past and probably going to

be interrupted by another

event.3. I used to go to Madrid. Frequent action4. I would go to Madrid. Frequent action



These two past tenses are often used together especially for stories or narratives in the past. Look at these examples and try to use the tenses in a similar way.

– Cuando miré por la ventana llovía.When I looked out of the window it was raining.– Leía cuando el teléfono sonó.I was reading when the telephone rang.

In each of these sentences:(1) the verb in the preterite describes a single, completed action.(2) the verb in the imperfect describes an action which was

already going on and which was interrupted by another action.

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Using the imperfect and preterite together


The same kind of verb construction can be used with the imperfect tense to describe continuous actions in the past.This time the English phrase you are describing iswas doing something.

– Estaba comiendo I was eating

To form the imperfect continuous in Spanish you need two parts:

(1) The imperfect tense of the verb ESTAR.

(2) The present participle of the verb you are emphasising.

Notice that you still use the present participle.

The imperfect continuous 1


I was eating

You were eating

We were eating

You were eating

They were eating

He / she / it was eating

Estaba comiendo

Estabas comiendo

Estaba comiendo

How to form the imperfect continuous tense.

COMER = to eat

Estábamos comiendo

Estabais comiendo

Estaban comiendo

Now practise saying and writing out these verbs:ABRIR HABLAR



¿Sabes cambiar estos verbos del presente al imperfecto progresivo?

1. Juan y Ana beben café con leche en la cafetería.2. Anita pone la mesa para ayudar a su madre.3. Nosotros leemos revistas en la clase de ciencias.4. Los camareros sirven a muchos clientes.5. El gato duerme en el jardín.6. Los niños juegan al fútbol en el parque.7. María se viste en su dormitorio.8. Mi madre ve su telenovela preferida en la tele.9. Yo aprendo el español en el instituto.10.Vosotros cantáis en el coro.11.El cliente pide la cuenta.

1. Juan y Ana estaban bebiendo café con leche en la cafetería.2. Anita estaba poniendo la mesa para ayudar a su madre.3. Nosotros estábamos leyendo revistas en la clase de ciencias.4. Los camareros estaban sirviendo a muchos clientes.5. El gato estaba durmiendo en el jardín.6. Los niños estaban jugando al fútbol en el parque.7. María estaba vistiéndose en su dormitorio.8. Mi madre estaba viendo su telenovela preferida en la tele.9. Yo estaba aprendiendo el español en el instituto.10.Vosotras estabais cantando en el coro.11.El cliente estaba pidiendo la cuenta.

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© boardworks ltd 2005 1 of 43 the preterite tense the imperfect tense using the imperfect and...

Documents

preterite tense

imperfect tense

present tense

er ir

ir endings

sets of regular endings

chain of events

chain events