el pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

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El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

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El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto. When do we use the preterit in Spanish?. The pretérito indicates: I. A single event Fui a España el año pasado - I went to Spain last year.   Visité Barcelona el sábado - I visited Barcelona on Saturday. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

Page 2: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

When do we use the preterit in Spanish?The pretérito indicates:I. A single event

Fui a España el año pasado - I went to Spain last year.   Visité Barcelona el sábado - I visited Barcelona on

Saturday.II. One or more events or actions that began and

ended in the pastFui a España - I went to Spain.

Visité unos museos - I visited some museums.III. An event that occurred, interrupting another

action...cuando me dijeron la verdad - ... when they told me the truth. ...cuando mi hija nació - when my daughter was born.

IV. Changes in an existing physical or mental state at a precise moment or for a particular isolated causeTuve miedo cuando vi el perro - I was scared when I saw the dog.

Page 3: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

When do we use the imperfect in Spanish?

The imperfecto is used for:I. A habitual or repeated action

Iba a España cada año - I went (used to go) to Spain every year. Visitaba mucho la Sagrada Familia - I often visited la Sagrada

Familia.II. An ongoing action with no specified completion

Iba a España - I was going to Spain. Visitaba unos museos - I was visiting museums.III. Description/background information; set the scene of how

things were or what was happening when there was an interruptionVivía en Costa Rica cuando... - I was living in Costa Rica when...

Estaba en mi cama cuando... - I was in bed when... IV. General description of physical or mental states of being

Tenía miedo de los perros - I was afraid of dogs.V. Expression of the time of day or age in the past

Eran las cinco de la mañana - It was five a.m. Era sus cumpleaños; tenía doce años - It was his birthday; he

was twelve.

Page 4: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

Thus the imperfecto is normally used for descriptions of the past, while the pretérito narrates specific events.

In addition, the imperfecto often sets the stage for an event expressed with the pretérito.

Page 5: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

Compare the following passages:

Imperfecto:Cuando tenía dieciocho años, quería ser arquitecto. Me

gustaba mucho la obra de Antoni Gaudí y esperaba comprender su genio.When I was eighteen, I wanted to be an architect. I really liked Antoni Gaudí's work and I hoped to understand his genius.

Pretérito:Decidí estudiar en España e hice los formularios de

inscripción, pero las universidades no me admitieron. Conocí a un pintor y comencé a estudiar con él.I decided to study in Spain and filled out the application forms, but the universities did not admit me. I met a painter and started studying with him.

Page 6: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

Key words and phrasesThe following list of key words and phrases

may help you figure out whether to use imperfecto or pretérito.

Imperfecto: normalmente, de vez en cuando, antes (formerly), todos los días, los lunes, los martes, etc.

Pretérito: una vez, dos veces, tres/cuatro/etc. veces, muchas veces, ayer, un día, el lunes, de repente (suddenly, all of a sudden).

Page 7: El pretérito, el imperfecto y el pluscuamperfecto

When do we use the imperfect in Spanish? The pluperfect (aka past perfect) is used to indicate

an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. The latter can be either mentioned in the same sentence or implied.

Examples:

Ya había salido (cuando tú llamaste).

I had already left (when you called).

No habían comido (antes de hacer su tarea). 

They hadn't eaten (before doing their homework).

Fui al mercado por la mañana; ya había ido al banco.

I went to the store this morning; I had already gone to the bank.