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Preterite vs Imperfect. Objectives. SWL: to conjugate regular -ar verbs in the preterite and the imperfect and the basic difference between the preterite and the imperfect. past tenses. Spanish has two: preterite and imperfect.
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Objectives • SWL: to conjugate regular -ar verbs in the preterite and the imperfect and the basic difference between the preterite and the imperfect
past tenses • Spanish has two: preterite and imperfect. • Most verbs can be put into either tense, depending upon the meaning.
Conjugating PRETERITO -ar verbs • In the preterite, drop the ending (-ar) and add: • é • aste • ó • amos • aron
verbs in the PRETERITO –er and – ir form Simply drop the ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following: Í iste ió imos ieron
Conjugating IMPERFECTO(-ar) verbs • Drop the (-ar) and add: • aba • abas • aba • ábamos • aban
Regular verbs in the IMPERFECTO in –er and –ir forms Simply drop the ending (-er or -ir) and add one of the following: ía ías ía íamos ían
Sub. Pronouns Preterite Imperfect Yo hablé hablaba To hablaste hablabas El, Ella, Uds. habló hablaba Comparing the verb hablar
Sub. Pronouns Preterite Imperfect Nosotros hablamos hablábamos Ellas, Ellos, Uds. hablaron hablaban Hablar Continued
When is the Preterite Used? • For actions in the past that are seen as completed. • Use of the preterite implies the past action had a definite beginning and definite end.
Important • Realize that the beginning and the end may not always be clearly stated.
The difference • The preterite tells us specifically when an action took place. • The imperfect tells us in general when an action took place.
The Preterite • That indicate specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the preterite.
The preterite is used in the following • For actions that occurred during a specific period of time • For actions that were part of a chain of events • To state the beginning or the end of an action
Words & Phrases • ayer (yesterday) • anteayer (the day before yesterday) • anoche (last night) • desde el primer momento (from the first moment)
When is the Imperfect Used? • For actions in the past 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.
Ejemplos • Las chicas hablaban en inglés. • The girls used to speak in English. (no definite beginning or end)
Repetitive, vague • or non-specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the imperfect.
Words & Phrases • a menudo (often) • a veces (sometimes) • cada día (every day) • cada semana (every week)
The imperfect is used in the following situations: For actions that were repeated habituallyFor actions that "set the stage" for another past action
For telling timeFor stating one's ageFor mental states (usually)For physical sensations (usually)To describe the characteristics of people, things or conditions