Capítulo
Español III
4B
el 12 de
diciembre 2015
2015
HOME Journals Due –please bring them in
Realidades 4A
¡El Imperfecto!
Realidades 2
Lección Preliminar
Repasos del Imperfecto y Vocabulary
Using the Preterite AND the Imperfect Tense
The Imperfect Tense and The Preterite Tense are both ways to talk about actions
that happened in the past. Learning when to use which is one of the more
frustrating things a Spanish student has to do because we just don't think the same
way in English. We have only one past tense conjugation
I went fishing.
What's the time frame of this action? Clearly the fishing took place in the past.
However, we don't know anything more about the situation than that, do we? For
example: did the fishing occur once or many times?
To get across to the reader or listener important information such as when or how
often this event occurred we have to add some extra information:
I went fishing yesterday.
I went fishing every morning at sunrise.
In the first sentence we know not only when this action happened but that it only
happened once. In the second we know this event happened repeatedly.
Most of the decision to use either the preterite or the imperfect boils down to the
difference in the two example sentences above. In Spanish, information as to
whether the event happened once or went on for awhile is "built-in" to the
conjugation you choose.
Let's start with the imperfect...
When to Use the Imperfect Tense
Note: For this lesson imperfect conjugations will be indicated like this: imperfect
conjugation
Repeated, Usual, Habitual Actions
We mainly use the imperfect tense when talking about repeated, usual, or habitual
actions in the past:
Los sábados yo jugaba con mi vecino.
On Saturdays I played with my neighbor.
Usualmente él llegaba temprano.
He usually arrived early.
Mi madre siempre me preparaba desayuno.
My mother would always prepare breakfast for me.
In the first example we use the imperfect jugaba (rather than the preterite jugué)
because we see this happened repeatedly, over the course of many Saturdays. In
the second we use the imperfect llegaba (rather than the preterite llegó) because we
know from the context that this was a usual activity. And in the third we use
preparaba (rather than preparó) because this was a habitual action that happened
often.
Words such as "always," "frequently," "generally," "never," "often," "usually"
"used to" and "would" clue us into the fact that we should use the imperfect.
Background Information
We use the imperfect to describe the setting or provide background information
such as what people, places, or conditions were like at some unspecified time in
the past:
La ciudad era vieja y sucia.
The city was old and dirty.
La sirenita se llamaba Ariel y tenía seis hermanas.
The little mermaid was named Ariel and she had six sisters.
Times and Ages
We also use the imperfect to state the time and people's ages in the past:
Isabel tenía ocho años.
Isabel was eight years old.
Era la una de la mañana.
It was one in the morning.
Ongoing Actions
See also:
The Imperfect Progressive
Additionally, use the imperfect to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress
in the unspecified past. This is roughly equivalent to using the imperfect
progressive. In these sentences, when the action began or ended is unimportant, it
just happened to be occurring at that moment:
Rosa hacía su tarea a las 9:00.
Rosa was doing her homework at 9:00.
Yo dibujaba durante la clase de arte.
I was drawing during art class.
Translating the Imperfect
Because in English we only have one past tense conjugation, we often have to
resort to adding additional words to get our exact meaning across. Consider these
sentences. All three could be translated the same way in Spanish (and vice versa):
I walked on Sundays.
I would walk on Sundays.
↔
Yo caminaba los domingos.
I used to walk on Sundays.
When to Use the Preterite Tense
Note: For this lesson preterite conjugations will be indicated like this: preterite
conjugation
Single, Completed Actions
If the imperfect is primarily used to describe actions that happened over and over
again, what is the preterite used for? You're right! To talk about single, completed
actions that took place at specific points in time:
El sábado yo jugué con mi vecino.
On Saturday I played with my neighbor.
Ayer él llegó temprano.
Yesterday he arrived early.
Mi madre me preparó desayuno esta mañana.
My mother prepared breakfast for me this morning.
Since the actions referred to in these examples are one-time events, we choose the
preterite. In the first case we use the preterite jugué (instead of jugaba) because the
playing we're referring to only occurred once, on Saturday. Likewise, in the second
case we choose the preterite llegó (instead of llegaba) because we're referring to
one arrival, yesterday. And lastly, mother prepared breakfast once, this morning.
Time cues such as a specific season, month, day, or time of day indicate that we
should be using the preterite.
What if…?
What if you have both a repeated action and a definite timeframe? Use the preterite
when a completed action is repeated a specific number of times. For example:
Fui al aeropuerto tres veces ayer.
I went to the airport three times yesterday.
What if there isn't a definite timeframe in the sentence, but it's implied by context?
A preterite sentence doesn't necessarily have to include a time reference (as in the
second sentence below):
Ayer hice mi tarea. También miré dos películas.
Yesterday I did my homework. I also watched two movies.
The Imperfect vs. The Preterite
Differences in Meaning
This might be a good time talk about why it's called the "imperfect" tense. It
doesn't have anything to do with quality, but rather the idea that the action is
"incomplete;" it doesn't have a specific beginning or end. Because we're using the
imperfect and not attaching a definite timeframe to these actions, we're indicating
that when they began and when (or if) they ended is unknown or unimportant. For
example:
Marcos se sentía enfermo.
La plaza estaba decorada para la fiesta.
Esmeralda tenía que regresar a casa.
El tiempo hacía frío.
"Marcos was feeling sick." (We don't know exactly when he started feeling bad or
if he's now feeling better.) "The plaza was decorated for the party." (Who knows
for how long?) "Esmeralda was supposed to return home." (We're not sure when or
if she did.) "The weather was cold." (When or if the weather changed isn't
important.)
On the other hand…
Let's look at the same examples, this time with preterite conjugations and definite
timeframes. Now we are explicitly stating when the action started (or ended), and
therefore indicating that the timeframe is important. Because of this we are subtly
indicating that a change has occurred:
La semana pasada Marcos se sintió enfermo.
La plaza estuvo decorada por un mes.
Esmeralda tuvo que regresar a casa el martes.
El tiempo hizo frío hace dos días.
"Last week Marcos got sick." (Marcos started feeling sick last week.) "The plaza
was decorated for one month." (But it isn't anymore.) "Esmeralda had to return
home on Tuesday." (And she did.) The weather was cold two days ago." (But it's
much warmer now.)
Note: Due to their meanings, some verbs tend to be conjugated in the imperfect
tense and some verbs are more naturally preterite. Because the verb soler means
"to usually" or "to be in the habit of" it cannot be used in the preterite.
Due to the differences in emphasis between a preterite and imperfect conjugation,
some verbs will have significant differences in meaning when translated.
Hopefully by now these variations will make some sense to you. Notice how the
preterite tends to signal a change:
imperfect:
preterite:
conocer:
poder:
no poder:
querer:
no querer:
saber:
tener:
Conocía a Ana.
Conocí a Ana.
I knew Ana.
I met Ana.
Podía salir.
Pude salir.
I was able to leave.
I managed to leave.
No podía terminar.
No pude terminar.
I was not able to finish.
I failed to finish.
Quería hablar.
Quise hablar.
I wanted to speak.
I tried to speak.
No quería leer.
No quise leer.
I didn't want to read.
I refused to read.
Sabía el razón.
Supe el razón.
I knew the reason.
I found out the reason.
Tenía guantes.
Tuve guantes.
I had gloves.
I got gloves.
The Imperfect & the Preterite Together
See also:
The Imperfect Progressive
It's not at all uncommon to have both preterite and imperfect conjugations in the
same sentence. In fact, it happens a lot. The imperfect (or the imperfect
progressive) is used to explain what has happening when a preterite action
occurred:
Los perros dormían cuando Carlos entró.
The dogs were sleeping when Carlos entered.
Cuando llegaron a la carretera el tiempo hacía calor.
When they reached the highway the weather was hot.
Yo me caí mientras que estábamos corriendo.
I fell while we were running.
For Visual Learners
If you're still having trouble with the imperfect and the preterite, sometimes it can
be advantageous to imagine a timeline. On the right side is the present (we'll ignore
the future for now). Toward the left is the past.
If you know with any certainty when the action happened, you should be able to
pinpoint on the timeline (with an arrow) exactly when it happened. For example:
On Saturday his friend went to the baseball game.
On the other hand, if you find it difficult to pin down, you may have to indicate
only an indefinite range (with a squiggly line) of the action. For example:
His friend was a good baseball player.
So, what good does this do us? Whenever you would draw an arrow you should
use the preterite; whenever you would draw a squiggly line you should use the
imperfect. Like this:
El sábado su amigo fue al partido de béisbol.
Su amigo era un buen jugador de béisbol.
One more example:
Esperanza broke her arm when she was a girl.
This sentence has two verbs which will both go on the timeline: "Esperanza broke
her arm" and "Esperanza was a girl." One of the verbs was a one-time event, the
other was a situation with an indefinite time frame so we'll use both an arrow and a
squiggly line.
Therefore:
Esperanza rompió su brazo cuando era niña.
Imperfect vs. Preterite: A Final Note
One of the reasons learning when to use the preterite or the imperfect is so difficult
is that it's not an exact science. Sometimes you can switch from one tense to the
other without substantially changing the meaning of the sentence. Other times
you'll completely change the meaning. There may be times when reading Spanish
that you won't be able to tell why the author used the conjugation he or she did
because it won't seem to follow any of the rules. Just roll with it. As you get more
and more used to reading Spanish you'll be able to pick up on the subtle nuances
that let you know why a verb is conjugated the way it is.
Al volver al colegio después la vacación
1. Realidades 2 Manos a la obra página 190
Vocabulario y gramática en repaso también se dice...
2. A Primera Vista Vocabulario y gramática en contexto
Página 186 El Mundo - y
3. Página 187
Más vocabulario
La guardería infantil
Vocabulario
4. AR verbs, Er and Ir verbs REGULAR
Realidades 2 página 194 and on this Web Site
5. Irregular verbs in El Imperfecto- SER IR and VER
Realidades 2 página 196 and on the website
Indirect Object Pronouns
Remember - me te le nos os les
8. Videos from other students using the Imperfect Tense
1. El Imperfect: Part I
In a previous lesson, you learned that the imperfect is used for past
actions that are not seen as completed. Use of the imperfect tense
implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a definite
end. You also learned how to conjugate regular -ar verbs. In this lesson,
you will learn how to conjugate -er and -ir verbs, and become more
familiar with the uses of the imperfect.
To conjugate regular -ar verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the ending
(-ar) and add one of the following:
aba
abas
aba
ábamos
abais
aban
To conjugate regular -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the
ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following:
ía
ías
ía
íamos
íais
ían
Here are all three regular imperfect verb forms together:
hablar
comer
vivir
hablaba
comía
vivía
hablabas
comías
vivías
hablaba
comía
vivía
hablábamos comíamos vivíamos
hablabais
comíais
vivíais
hablaban
comían
vivían
The imperfect is used for actions that were repeated habitually.
Almorzábamos juntos todos los días.
We would lunch together every day.
Las señoras siempre charlaban por las mañanas.
The ladies would always chat in the mornings.
The imperfect is used for actions that "set the stage" for another action.
Yo leía cuando entró mi papá.
I was reading when my papa entered. (note that "entered" is preterite)
The imperfect is used for telling time and stating one's age.
Eran las siete de la noche.
It was seven o'clock at night.
La niña tenía cinco años.
The little girl was five years old.
The above examples all fall within our general rule for using the
imperfect:
EL IMPERFECTO Part I
The imperfect is used for past actions
that are not seen as completed
Something that was happening…
Something that happened often…
Imperfect: regular -er
-ía
-ías
-ía
-íamos
-íais
-ían
comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían
Imperfect: regular -ir
-ía
-ías
-ía
-íamos
-íais
-ían
vivía, vivías, vivía, vivíamos, vivíais, vivían
More examples of the
Imperfect Tense in Spanish
Note that the yo and él forms are identical; if the context leaves ambiguity as to
which person was doing the action, be sure to use the pronoun.
Ir, ser, and ver are the only irregular verbs in the imperfecto.
Ir - to go
yo iba
nosotros íbamos
tú ibas
vosotros ibais
él iba
ellos
iban
Ser - to be
yo era
nosotros éramos
tú eras vosotros erais
él era
ellos
eran
Ver - to see
yo veía
nosotros veíamos
tú veías vosotros veíais
él veía
ellos
veían
Hablar - to talk
yo hablaba
nosotros hablábamos
tú hablabas vosotros hablabais
él hablaba
ellos
hablaban
Comer - to eat
yo comía
nosotros comíamos
tú comías
vosotros comíais
él comía
ellos
comían
Vivir - to live
yo vivía
nosotros vivíamos
tú vivías
vosotros vivíais
él vivía
ellos
El pretérito y el imperfecto:
The usage of the preterite and the imperfect is one of the
most difficult aspects of Spanish for an English-speaker.
Essentially, both the preterite and the imperfect are past
tenses, much as the way "he did" and "he was doing" both
express past action in English. The deciding factor
between the two tenses is a characteristic of verbs not
frequently talked about in English: aspect.
Every action has a beginning, a middle, and an end. When
one wishes to focus on the middle of an action, the action
is on-going, that is, nothing changes radically (which is
not to say that nothing happens). For example, "he was
eating" indicates the "middle" of the action of eating in
the past. We don't know when he started to eat or when he
finished (or even if he finished). We just know that at a
vivían
certain time in the past, he was in the middle of eating.
This focus on the middle of an action is called the
imperfective aspect. Not surprisingly, it is associated
with the imperfect tense in Spanish, for example:
hablaba
I was speaking
viajábamos we used to travel
estaban
they were
In each case, there is no notion that the action began or
ended, only that at some point it was on-going. Notice,
however, that English has three different, common ways
to indicate the imperfect: the past progressive ("was
speaking") to show that a single action continued, the
"used to" construction to show that a series of separate
actions continued, and the simple past, used particularly
with verbs that show state of mind or body ("was,"
"thought," etc.) as ongoing in the past.
If the imperfect is used to denote the middle of an action,
the preterite is used to indicate the beginning or the end of
an action. Sometimes it requires some thought to
determine which part of the action is being described. For
example, "The telephone rang at 8 last night" sounds like
an action that is over and therefore we are describing the
end of it. But the point of view is always some point in
the past, in this case, at 8 last night. At that time, the
telephone began to ring. It wasn't ringing at 7:59, but it
very well might have rung until 8:01 or 8:02. When one
says, "I shut the door," on the other hand, by the time one
says that, the door is already shut; the action has been
completed.
There are many other ways to describe when one should
use the imperfect or the preterite, but all of them are just
different ways of describing the aspect of the verb in
question. For example, one usually uses the imperfect to
describe background (ongoing) actions and states, or
something that was going on when another action
interrupted. Likewise, the preterite is used to describe a
series of discrete actions that occurred in sequence and
then were over. Of course, there are always some uses
that do not necessarily fit the rule, such as the fact that
one always tells time in the imperfect ("era la una"), and
there are even some verbs whose meaning (or at least
whose translation) changes when one uses one tense or
the other. Here are a few examples; note that the standard
meaning is the one reflected by the imperfect:
Verb
Preterite
Imperfect
saber
supe - "I found out" sabía - "I knew"
conocer conocí - "I met"
conocía - "I knew"
querer
quería - "I wanted"
quise - "I tried"
In short, to express what was happening, What
happened many times-often..... use the
IMPERFECTO in Spanish
More Review of the Pretérito
El Pretérito
The Preterite tense is used to indicate a completed action in
the past. something that was completed-finished in the past
Verbos regulares
-AR
-é
-aste
-ó
-amos
-asteis
-aron
Verbos -er e -ir regulares
-í
-iste
-ió
-imos
-isteis
-ieron
______________________________________
Verbos irregulares
IRREGULAR CASES IN PRETÉRITO
Case I
DAR
Di
Diste
Dio
dimos
disteis
dieron
irregular
below
VER
Vi
Viste
Vio
Vimos
Visteis
Vieron
Case II irregular
Caer
Caí
Caíste
Cayó
Caímos
Caísteis
Cayeron.
OIR
Oí
Oíste
Oyó
Oímos
Oísteis
Oyeron
CREER
Creí
Creíste
Creyó
Creímos
Creísteis
Creyeron
LEER
Leí
Leíste
Leyó
Leímos
Leísteis
leyeron
Case II also has-
All –uir verbs
Construir
Influir.....
Construir
Construí
Construíste
Construyó
Construímos
Construísteis
Construyeron
Case III SER AND IR
Fui
Fuiste
Fue
Fuimos
Fuisteis
Fueron
Ser
Fuí
Fuiste
Fué
Fuimos
Fuisteis
Fueron
JOTA group
Case IV
Jota group
All –cir verbs take the “J”
Decir
Dije
Dijste
dijo
dijimos
dijisteis
dijeron
TRAER goes with the case
IV verbs
Traje
Trajiste
Trajo
Trajimos
Trajisteis
Trajeron
Case
V
ESTAR
“V” group
TENER
Estar
ESTUVE
ESTUVISTE
ESTUVO
ESTUVIMOS
ESTUVISTEIS
ESTUVIERON
ANDAR
ANDAR
ANDUVE
ANDUVISTE
ANDUVO
ANDUVIMOS
ANDUVISTEIS
ANDUVIERON
TENER
TUVE
TUVISTE
TUVO
TUVIMOS
TUVISTEIS
TUVIERON
Case VI Los independientes
Poner
Puse
Pusiste
Puso
Pusimos
Pusisteis
Pusieron
Poder
Pude
Pudiste
Pudo
Pudimos
Pudisteis
Pudieron
Venir
Vine
Viniste
Vino
Vinimos
Vinisteis
Vinieron
Hacer
Hice
Hiciste
Hizo
Hicimos
Hicisteis
Hicieron
Saber:
to know a fact
Not used in conversation
In spoken Spanish it is used to mean
“to have found out....!”
Supe
Supiste
Supo
Supimos
Supisteis
supieron
knowing is a process
Saber- In order to say that you
“knew....something” you must use
th eimperfect tense form of the
verb
Sabía
Sabías
Sabía
Sabíamos
Sabíais
sabían
Yo no sabía la respuesta.
Querer - to want
You can not use the preperite form of the verb
QUERER since ¨wanting¨ implies an on going
sense of desire......
In conversational Spanish you must use the
Imperfect form of the conjugation to indicate
“wanting...or wanted”
Preterite form of the verb
QUERER
Quise
Quisiste
Quiso
Quisimos
Quisisteis
Qusieron
In spoken Spanish this means to have refused
when the word NO comes before each conjugate.
Yo no quise ir. I refused to go.
No qusimos ir de compras.We refused to go shopping.
No quise
No quisiste
No quiso
Ni quisimos
No quisisteis
No quisieron
To expres “I wanted, you
wanted, he/she wanted....”
you must use the imperfect
form of the verb querer.
Quería
Querías
Quería
Queríamos
Queríais
Querían
Yo quería estudiar en la biblioteca.
I wanted to study in the library.
Dormir
Dormí
Dormiste
Durmió
Dormimos
Dormisteis
Durmieron
PEDIR
Pedí
Pediste
Pidió
Pedimos
Pedisteis
Pidieron
Other e to i stem-changing verbs.....
Servir reir pedir dormir sonrei.........
________________________________________
Case VIII
-Car
qué
-Gar
GUÉ
-Zar
CÉ
in the yo form
Tocar
Toqué
Tocaste
Tocó
Tocamos
Tocasteis
tocaron
-GAR verbs
LLEGAR
Llegué
Llegaste
Llegó
Llegamos
Llegasteis
llegaron
-ZAR verbs
Empezar
Empecé
Empezaste
empezó
Empezamos
Empezasteis
Empezaron
Indirect Object Pronouns Again in REVIEW!
Don´t forget
HOME JOURNALS
5 to 10 minutes - at least 5 minutes per
nightOf current lesson in
HOME JOURNALS!!!
Monday-Friday !!!
REVIEW THE VERBS IN THE VERB PACKET!
TAREA
Realidades 4A