![]() ![]() Preterite: ellos no pudieron arreglar la computadora (they failed at fixing the computer). Imperfect: ustedes podían negociar el precio (you all were able to negotiate the price) Preterite: ustedes pudieron comprar la casa (you all succeeded in buying the house) Imperfect: no queríamos jugar pelota (we didn’t want to play ball). Preterite: no quisimos hacer la tarea (we refused to do the homework). Imperfect: ella quería ver la película (she wanted to see the movie). Preterite: ella quiso ver la película (she tried to see the movie). Imperfect: él tenía un regalo de su esposa (he had a gift from his wife). Preterite: él tuvo un regalo de su esposa (he received a gift from his wife). Preterite: tú lo supiste (You figured it out). They are important to memorize so that you’re aware of what you’re saying when you use them. Spanish Verbs that Change Meaning Depending on the TenseĪt least 7 common verbs change meaning depending on which tense is being used. While she was working, her boss called her. Mientras ella trabajaba, su jefe la llamó. I was sunbathing when it started to rain. Whereas, if you were to say “I only fished once with my grandfather,” then you’d use the preterite tense to define the end of the activity: Pesqué solo una vez con mi abuelo.Īs we mentioned before, when combining these two tenses in a sentence, the preterite describes an interrupting action, while the imperfect describes the interrupted action. (I was doing this before without any clear indication that I no longer do it.) What Happened vs What Used to HappenĪ common way to translate the imperfect verb tense into English is to insert “used to,” implying that the action once happened on a recurring basis. (You were doing it that way and maybe still are.)Įvery week I ordered Chinese food. You cleaned the house so many times without using disinfectant. Limpiabas la casa tantas veces sin usar desinfectante. (She was teaching Spanish and could still be teaching it.) When I met her, she was teaching Spanish. It describes a past action that is still going on and doesn’t have a clear end. Now, let’s talk about the imperfect again. After a while, the intuitive sense you get about English grammar will come naturally as you speak Spanish. You’ll notice they all sound pretty strange, even in English. Take the examples above and try to replace the verb with the imperfect tense. Your daughter sang really well in her play. Tu hija cantó muy bien en su obra de teatro. She tried her hardest to reach the top shelf. (The calls started and ended at an exact time.)Įlla hizo su mayor esfuerzo para alcanzar el estante de arriba. Tuve seis llamadas entre las 2 y 4 de la tarde. (I ate the cookie once, it was a definite action.) “He called me when I was reading the newspaper.” What You Did vs What You Were DoingĪn action that began in the past and has a clear ending is “what you did.” Examples of this in Spanish are: ![]()
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