LA FORMACIÓN DEL

IMPERFECTO

AR VERBS IN EL IMPERFECTO

ER/IR VERBS IN EL IMPERFECTO

UNOS IRREGULARES:

SER

IR

VER

PRETÉRITO VS. IMPERFECTO

You already know two tenses that refer to the past, the preterite and the imperfect. How is each tense used? • Use the preterite tense to describe an

action or series of actions completed in the past.

Aquel día, Pedro fue a la playa y jugó al voleibol playero. =

That day, Pedro went to the beach and played beach volleyball. (both completed actions that day)

The imperfect tells about past actions without saying when they begin or end. The action isn’t “perfectly done,” therefore it is imperfect.

Todo el mundo dormía = Everybody was sleeping / slept (continuously in the past).

Había gente por todas partes = There were people everywhere.

Nos enamoramos cuando éramos jóvenes.

(we fell in love [you see it happen once] when we were young [long period of time

being young] )

Mientras yo estudiaba, sonó el teléfono. While I was studying, the phone rang.

When I was little, I broke my favorite toy.Cuando era__ niña, _rompí___ mi juguete favorito.

**The Word “mientras” will be useful to remember as a trigger for the imperfect tense.

While they danced, the servers brought cake.Mientras bailaban, los meseros trajeron pastel.

• Use the imperfect tense for ongoing actions or states of being in the past without focusing on their beginning or end. Always use the imperfect to say what time it was or what the weather was like in the past.

Elena siempre iba a la playa cuando hacía buen tiempo. =

Elena always used to go to the beach when the weather was nice.

• Sometimes you need the imperfect and the preterite in the same sentence.

Use the imperfect to tell what was going on in the background.

Use the preterite for the interrupting action or main event.

Yo nadaba cuando Pedro llegó a la playa. =I was swimming when Pedro arrived to the beach

HTTP://WWW.TRINITY.ED

U/MSTROUD/GRAMMAR/PRET4.HTM

EL IMPERFECTO:

You learned to use the preterite tense to talk about actions completed in the past. The imperfect tense describes events that occurred in the past:

The imperfect is used: To speak about background events

in a story To talk about something you used to

do as a habit To speak about how old someone

was To say what time it was

http://www.quia.com/pop/62615.html?AP_rand=602620746

http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/superhombre.php

Words like yesterday, last week, last night etc. set up use of preterite!1. La semana pasada yo ___________________________ a mis padres. (visitar)

2. A veces mi esposo y yo _______________________________ al cine. (ir)

3. Ayer Miguel no ________________________ su tarea. (hacer)

4. Diego y Marta ____________________________ el quince de abril. (casarse) 5. El equipo de béisbol ____________________ en un partido anoche. (competir)  6. Yo __________________________________ a la escuela a las ocho. (llegar)

7. Mónica _________________________ con su amiga todos los días. (almorzar)

8. Yo _______________________________ al parque con mi hijo el sábado. (ir)

9. Teresa y Esteban ________________________ el tenis los lunes. (practicar)

10. ¿______________________ tú un accidente de coche hace tres días? (tener) 11. _____________________ ( hubo / había) una

vez una clase de historia que no ______________ bien. ( comportarse )

12. _____________________ las once de la mañana cuando empezó a nevar.

13. A las nueve, yo ____________(despertarse)

14. Yo___________ (llegar) a las nueve de la mañana.

15. ___________ las cinco de la tarde cuando los niños _____________(venir) a la casa.

Conocer : MET! Conocí a Juan hace cinco años. I met Juan five years ago.(completed action)

En aquella época conocíamos muy bien la ciudad. At that time we knew the city very well. (no definite beginning or end)

Querer: TRIED! María quiso comprar la casa. Maria tried to buy the house. (completed action)

Juan quería comprar la casa. Juan wanted to buy the house. (no definite beginning or end)

No querer: REFUSED! María no quiso comprar la casa. Maria refused to buy the house.

(completed action) Juan no quería comprar la casa. Juan did not

want to buy the house.(no definite beginning or end)

Saber: FOUND OUT! María lo supo ayer. Maria found out yesterday. (completed action)

Juan sabía que María estudiaba. Juan knew that Maria was studying.(no definite beginning or end)

Poder: SUCCEEDED IN! María pudo levantar la mesa. Maria succeeded in lifting the table.(completed action)

No pudo = tried and failed Juan podía participar en el concierto. Juan was

able to participate in the concert.(no definite beginning or end)

Tener: RECEIVED! María tuvo una carta de su mamá. Maria received a letter from her mom.(completed action)

Juan tenía un coche nuevo. Juan used to have a new car. (no definite beginning or end)

1.When I was little, I didn’t like the stifling heat at the beach.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2.My great-grandmother used to cook delicious food for my dad._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3.The bride and groom (couple) sat on the sand and watched the sunset._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.Your godparents bought you excellent gifts for your baptism!______________________________________________________________________________________________________________5.My grandparents had more than 5 great-grandchildren!______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6.When my great-grandmother was little, her family was poor, but they were happy._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________7.Last week all my relatives came to the party to celebrate my birthday._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8.The girl fell in love with a boy while she was on a cruise.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9.Every summer my family and I gathered berries at the lake house.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10.The children always used the life vest when they were in the water.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11.The boys were playing beach volleyball when it started to rain!__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________12.The sisters looked a lot alike!________________________________________________________________________13.I returned from the beach, left my sandals by the door, and got into the shower! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________