3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

15
PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT When to use these past tenses

Transcript of 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Page 1: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECTWhen to use these past tenses

Page 2: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Spanish has 2 simple past tenses: PRETERITE and IMPERFECT.

These two tenses are NOT interchangeable.

Each tense has specific meanings and uses.

Page 3: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

When to Use the PreteriteWhen an action was completed

When an action was completed at a specific time

When an action was completed a specific number of times

When an action began or ended

When an action interrupts another action

Page 4: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

For Preterite tense remember SIMBA

Sequence of events

I woke up, brushed my teeth, and took a shower.

Interruption

I was watching TV when the phone rang.

Main Event

The teacher yelled at the class.

Beginning/End of an event

The game ended at 5:00.

Action completed

I went to the mall yesterday.

S

I

M

B

A

Page 5: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Review the Phrases that indicate use of the preterite

Ayer

Anteayer

Anoche

Desde el primer momento

Durante (dos siglos)

El otro (día)

En ese momento

Entonces

Esta (mañana)

(El año) pasado

Hace (dos días)

Por la mañana

A las 10:00

El martes/lunes/etc.

* Parenthesis indicate a measure of time that can be interchangeable.

Ex: (El año) pasado

El verano pasado

Page 6: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

When to use the ImperfectTo state in general when an action took place

To describe background information

To express weather

To tell time

To tell age

To describe physical and mental states and conditions, including feelings

To express habitual actions

To express what used to happen

To express what was/were…ing

Page 7: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Imperfectremember DARE TWO B U

Description My mother was tall.

Age I was 18 years old.

Repeated Action I always got good grades. Every summer we went camping.

Emotion I was bored.

D

A

R

E

Page 8: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Imperfectremember DARE TWO B U Time

It was 5:00 in the afternoon.

Weather It was raining.

Ongoing Action My mother was cleaning the kitchen.

Background information It was a rainy and foggy day. My sisters were playing and

my parents were reading the paper.

Use to…. I use to love that movie!

T

W

O

B

U

Page 9: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Phrases that indicate use of the Imperfect

A menudo

A veces

Cada (día)

Nunca

Rara vez

Siempre

Casi siempre

En aquella época

Frecuentemente

Generalmente

Muchas veces

Mucho

De vez en cuando

Con frecuencia

Page 10: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

¡OJO!

Ex. Yo conocí a mi mejor amiga hace tres años.

I met my best friend three years ago.

Yo conocía a Luisa bien cuando éramos niñas.

I used to know Luisa well when we were kids.

Some verbs change meaning depending on the use of

the preterite or the imperfect:

Page 11: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Verbs that change meaning in the preterite and imperfect

Preterite

Querer- tried

No querer-refused

Conocer-met

Saber-found out

Poder-succeeded

Tener-received

Imperfect

Querer-wanted

No querer- didn’t want to

Conocer-knew

Saber-knew

Poder-was able

Tener-used to have

Page 12: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Examples of the preterite tense

Paco trabajó en el supermercado hace dos años.

Paco worked at the supermarket 2 years ago.

Yo leí el periódico ayer por la tarde.

I read the newspaper yesterday afternoon.

Comimos una torta en la fiesta el viernes pasado.

We ate a cake at the party last Friday.

Page 13: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Examples of the imperfect tense

Hacía mal tiempo.

It was bad weather.

Yo tenía miedo de la tormenta.

I was afraid of the storm.

Mi abuelo tenía 84 años.

My grandfather was 84 years old.

Mi padre era un chico malo.

My father was a bad boy.

Page 14: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Examples of the preterite vs. the imperfect tenses

Beto estudió anoche.

Beto studied last night.

Beto estudiaba todas las noches.

Beto used to study every night.

Beto estudiaba cuando se durmió.

Beto was studying when he fell asleep.

Page 15: 3.3.3 preterite vs imperfect

Practice1. Anoche Luís comió/comía unos tacos.

2. Hace un año viajamos/viajábamos a Costa Rica.

3. Isabel tuvo/tenía seis años cuando aprendió/aprendía a montar la bicicleta.

4. Yo estuve/estaba en la clase de historia cuando mi mamá me llamó/llamaba.

5. Fueron/Eran las tres de la tarde cuando Marco llegó/llegaba a casa.

6. Tú siempre sacaste/sacabas buenas notas.

7. Manuela fue/era muy simpática.

8. El otro día yo fui/iba a la biblioteca.

9. Nosotras asistimos/asistíamos a la clase de baile solamente tres veces.

10. 10)De vez en cuando mi mamá cocinó/cocinaba comida china.