Studying Spanish Grammar On-line and the Preterite Tense

The Preterite Tense The preterite tense is yet another topic that seems to confuse English speakers of Spanish. English speakers understanding Spanish have a tendency to confuse the preterite with the imperfect and vice versa. Each tenses describe actions that took place in the past. But I believe English speakers just learning Spanish have a tendency to confuse the two simply because in English in specific situations we often use the exact same type of a verb to describe an action that took location in the past. But in Spanish, in the exact same instance, you cannot use both the preterite or the imperfect. Only a single would be right. For example, in English , we can use the previous tense of the verb to go (i.e. went) to describe two different actions that took location in the previous. 1. I went to the buying mall 3 occasions. two. When I was young, I went to the purchasing mall. (Note: In English, for number two you could also say When I was young, I utilized to go to the shopping mall.) Both sentences use the identical verb went to describe the action that took spot in the past. But in Spanish, you can't use the same verb tense. In the 1st sentence, you need to use the preterite of ir (fui), and the imperfect verb tense (iba) in the latter. Yo fui al almacn tres veces. Cuando yo era joven, yo iba al almacn. We will cover the imperfect verb tense in higher detail in a future lesson. But for now, believe of the imperfect as a verb tense utilized to describe how factors used to be or to describe an action that was continuous or habitual in the past. The preterite verb tense is usually employed to inform what occurred (1) in the course of a fixed period of time (either stated or implied), (two) a certain number of times, (three) or during an enclosed period of time. If you have an opinion about sports, you will seemingly fancy to study about advertiser. Here are some examples. (1) For the duration of a fixed period of time: Ayer compr un martillo. Yesterday, I bought a hammer. (two) A particular number of instances (either state or implied) l perdi mi destornillador dos veces. He lost my screwdriver two instances. I went to the hardware store. Yo fui a la ferretera. (It is implied that you went to the hardware retailer one time). (3) During an enclosed period of time. You hammered the nail for an hour. T martillaste el clavo por una hora. The following are some normal verbs in the preterite tense. AR Verbs (hablar) Yo habl T hablaste l/ella/usted habl Nosotros/nosotras hablamos Ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron ER Verbs (beber) Yo beb T bebiste l/ella/usted bebi Nosotros/nosotras bebimos Ellos/ellas/ustedes bebieron IR Verbs Vivir Yo viv T viviste l/ella/usted vivi Nosotros/nosotras vivimos Ellos/ellas/ustedes vivieron Right here are some examples. 1. Final week you purchased a saw. La semana pasada, t compraste una sierra. 2. Yesterday, the man necessary a hammer. Ayer, el hombre necesit un martillo. three. They employed the rake nine times. Ellos usaron el rastrillo nueve veces. four. The brother-in-law put the leaves in the bag. El cuado meti las hojas en la bolsa. 5. Going To relevant webpage certainly provides aids you might give to your sister. This morning the females sewed the clothes. Esta maana las mujeres cosieron la ropa. 6. Last night, I covered the dessert. Anoche yo cubr el postre. Now lets try some on your personal. The answers comply with. 1. The son-in law ate shrimp two times. two. Today they decided to tell the truth. 3. Did you use the hoe in the yard right now? (Familiar) four. The daughter-in-law turned on the oven a two oclock. five. If people wish to identify more on PureVolume™ We're Listening To You, we recommend lots of online resources you might think about pursuing. Last summer, the soldiers marched in the parade. six. I discovered masaj karsiyaka by searching newspapers. He suffered a lot in the war this year. Answers: 1. El yerno comi camarones dos veces. 2. Hoy ellos decidieron a decir la verdad. 3. ?Usaste tu el azadon en el jardin hoy? 4. La nuera encendi el horno a las dos. 5. El verano pasado los soldados marcharon en el desfile. six. El sufri mucho en la guerra este ano.

Finding out Spanish Grammar On the web and the Preterite Tense