Transcript Preterit vs. Imperfect

Preterite vs. Imperfect
P. 5
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Spanish has two past tenses: preterite and imperfect.
They refer to past actions, but are used in different
situations/differently.
The preterite = Completed action
Ex: I bought a shirt yesterday.
The imperfect = Ongoing / repeated action/ a
description in the past/ usually has no reference
to beginning or end/ used to (would do)
Ex: I used to ride my bike every day.
SPICY (Preterit)
S=specific, sudden occurrence, completed actions
in the past (–ed endings -what happened/occurred)
P=past actions that were part of a series of distinct
instances, or actions that repeated a series of times.
(not to be confused with habitual) Ex: Me levanté , me bañé, y
comí el desayuno.
I=interrupting actions of an ongoing action in the
imperfect. Hacía mi tarea cuando llamó mi mamá
C=completed actions that occurred during a specific
period of time, and to state the beginning or end of
an action. La fiesta empezó en la tarde.
Y="yesterday” (anoche y ayer)
Preterit
These words usually refer to actions that are completed:
KEY WORDS
ayer (yesterday)
anoche (last night)
el año/mes pasado (last year/ last month)
la semana pasada (Last week)
Conjugation forms for the preterit
• To conjugate verbs in the preterit, simply drop the
(-ar,-er, or -ir) ending and add one of the following
(this doesn’t include the irregular verbs):
-AR
é
aste
ó
amos
aron
-ER/-IR
í
iste
ió
imos
ieron
Ejemplos
hablar
hablé
hablaste
habló
hablamos
hablasteis
hablaron
comer
comí
comiste
comió
comimos
comisteis
comieron
vivir
viví
viviste
vivió
vivimos
vivisteis
vivieron
U-TOADSTEW (imperfect)
U= Used to/ habitual Yo iba al cine todos los viernes
Yo trabajaba en Target cuando era joven.
T=thoughts or feelings (attitudes, and beliefs)
O=ongoing/circumstance/ action in the past with no
reference to its beginning or end. (was/were + -ing)
form of verb. Caminaba por el parque en la tarde…
A=age Tenía 20 años
D=descriptions of people, places, situations, and the
physical state of an object. La puerta estaba abierta.
S= setting or scene description (background information,
such as the time, the weather, and the location)
T=time/date Eran las tres de la tarde.
E= emotion/ mental/ state of mind Estaba enojado.
W=weather Hacía mucho frío.
The imperfect
These words refer to actions that were repeated or habitual
in the past:
KEY WORDS
Siempre (always)
todos los días (every day)
cada semana/mes/año/verano (every week/month/year/summer)
los sábados (on Saturdays)
a menudo (often)
muchas veces (many times)
generalmente (generally)
Mientras (meanhwhile/while)
Conjugation Forms for The
imperfect
To conjugate verbs in the imperfect, simply drop
the (-ar, -er, or -ir) ending and add the following:
-AR
aba
abas
aba
ábamos
aban
-ER /-IR
ía
ías
ía
Íamos
ían
Some verbs change meaning in the
imperfect and preterite:
Preterite
(completed action)
Imperfect
(description, scene)
Conocer
to have met someone
to have known someone
Saber
to have found out something to have known something
Querer
tried
wanted
No Querer
refused
didn't want
Poder
managed to (succeeded)
was able to (capable of)
No Poder
failed to
wasn't able to (not
capable)
Tener
Had (possession)
Had (with a result)
The Differences
Preterite
(completed action)
Imperfect
(description, scene)
Quise hacerlo pero no pude.
Quería ir a la playa cada fin de semana.
Y por no trabajar los fines de semana,
podía ir frecuentemente.
(SOMETHING STOPPED THE
ACTION)
I tried to do it but I failed (to do it)
I wanted to go to the beach every
weekend. And because I didn't work
weekends, I was able to go frequently.
La conocí el año pasado.
Nos conocíamos por tres meses antes de
casarnos.
I met her last year.
We knew each other for three months
before marrying.
Verbs that
change
meaning
In the imperfect
In the
preterit
1. Saber
1. Knew (had
knowledge for
some time)
1. Found out at a
specific point
2. Conocer
2. Was acquainted
with (over time)
2. Met for the first
time
3. Poder
3. Was capable of /
result to follow
3. Managed to /
succeeded/ result
4. Querer
4. Wanted/ Had the
intention to
4. Tried /
in negative=refused
5. Tener
5. Had (possession)
5. Had (with a result)