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19. WHAT IS THE PAST TENSE?
The past tense is used to express an action that occured in the past
IN ENGLISH There are several forms that indicate that the action took place in the past I worked simple past I was working past progressive I used to work with helping verb used to I did work past emphatic I have worked present perfect I had worked past perfect
The simple past is called “simple” because it is a simple tense, i.e., it consists of one word (worked in the example above). The other past tenses are compound tenses; i.e., they consist of more than one word (was working, did work, etc.). The present and past perfect tenses are discussed in a separate section (see What are the Perfect Tenses?, p. 82).
IN SPANISH There are several verb tenses that can be used to express an action that occurred in the past. Each tense has its own set of endings and its own rules that tell us when and how to use it. We are concerned here with only two of the past tenses in Spanish: the preterite (“el pretOrito”) and the imperfect (“eI imperfecto”).
The Preterite
The preteriteis formed by adding certain endings to the stem. There are many irregular verbs in the preterite tense. It is very important to learn the preterite forms given in your textbook since the stems of the preterite are also used as the base for other verb forms.
The preterite generally translates as the simple past in English.
hablé —+ I spoke estudié —+ I studied
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The Imperfect
The imperfect is also formed by adding a set of endings to the stem. The conjugation is so regular (there are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense) that there is no need to repeat what is in your Spanish textbook. There are two English verb forms tat indicate that the imperfect should be used in Spanish.
1. if the English verb form includes, or could include, the expression used to
When I was small, I played in the park I played could be replaced by I used to play; therefore, the Spanish verb is put into the imperfect.
Cuando yo era joven, jugaba en el parque. imperfect
2. if the English form is in the past progressive tense, as in was playing, were studying
I was studying in my room. Yo estudiaba en mi cuarto. Except for these two verb forms, the English verb will not indicate to you whether you should use the imperfect or the preterite.
Selection of the Preterite or Imperfect When discussing and describing past events and activities both the imperfect and preterite are used. You will have to learn to analyze sen- tences and their context so that you can decide which of the two tenses to use. As a general guideline, remember the following:
• preterite —* tells “what happened” during a fixed time period
• imperfect —+ tells “how things used to be” or
“what was going on” repeatedly over a period of time As you will see in the two examples below, the tense of the verb in the answer will usually be the same as the tense of the verb in the ques- tion.
Let us consider the sentence “He went to Mexico.” The same form of the verb, namely “went” is used in the two English answers below; however, the tense of the Spanish verb ir (to go) will be different depending on which question the verb answers. • “What happened?”
What did Robert do last summer? He went to Mexico. In this context you are asking and answering the question “what happened last summer”; therefore, the Spanish equivalent of the verbs “did do” and “went” will be in the preterite.
tQud hizo Roberto el verano pasado? Fue a Mexico. preterite preterite • “How things used to be” During his childhood, where did Robert go for the summer? He went to Mexico. In this context, you are asking and answering the question “how things used to be”; therefore, the Spanish equivalent for the verbs “did go” and “went” will be in the imperfect.
En su juventud, tadónde iba Roberto durante el verano? imperfect Iba a Mexico. imperfect
• “What was going on?” Since the imperfect and the preterite indicate actions that took place during the same time period in the past, you will often find the two tenses intermingled in a sentence or a story.
I was reading when he arrived. Both actions “reading” and “arrived” took place at the same time. What was going on? I was reading —4 imperfect What happened? He arrived —* preterite Lefa cuando lleqó. imperfect preterite
Your Spanish textbook will give you additional guidelines to help you choose the appropriate tense. You should practice analyzing English paragraphs. Pick out the verbs in a past tense and indicate for each one if, in Spanish, you would put it in the imperfect or preterite. Some- times both tenses are possible, but usually one of the two will be more logical. |
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