The Imperfect past tense. Learn the uses of the imperfect tense

Transcripción

1 The Imperfect past tense Learn the uses of the imperfect tense

2 Regular imperfect Conjugations 2 AR IR ER YO I TÚ You Informal USTED, ÉL, ELLA He, She, You Formal NOSOTROS We USTEDES, ELLOS, ELLAS You all, They (male) They (female) -aba -ía -ía -abas -ías -ías -aba -ía -ía -ábamos -íamos -íamos -aban -ían -ían

3 Irregular imperfect verbs 3 SER IR VER YO I TÚ You Informal USTED, ÉL, ELLA He, She, You Formal NOSOTROS We USTEDES, ELLOS, ELLAS You all, They (male) They (female) era iba veía eras ibas veías era Iba veía eramos ibamos veíamos eran iban veían

4 Uses of the imperfect 4 Actions Repeated Habitually Visitábamos mi abuela cada verano (We used to visit my Grandmother every summer) Siempre andaba en bicicleta cuando era joven (I always used to ride my back when I was young) Todos odiábamos el cálculo en la prepa (We all used to hate calculas in high school) Basic, simple description El coche era rojo (The car was red) Anna era casada (Anna was married) Dónde estaba el dinero (Where was the money?)

5 Let s practice: 5 Actions Repeated Habitually I always studied before a test (Estudiar) He often called me after 10PM (Llamar) We used to chew gum in school (Masticar) You used to go to school on the bus (Ir) They used to read lots of magazines(leer) Our dog used to bark a lot (Ladrar) He used to work in a bank (Trabajar) We used to watch Sesame Street (Ver)

6 6 Let s practice: Basic, simple description in the past Bozo was a clown (Ser) My father was a farmer (Ser) I was embarrassed (Estar) The store didn t have the shirt I wanted (Tener, Querer) My pen didn t work (Funcionar) The windows were open but the door was closed (Estar) George was tall and handsome (Ser) The monster had two heads (Tener)

7 Uses of the imperfect 7 -ing in the past Estaba lavando los platos (I was washing the dishes) Estaba bañadome mientras los niños viean el tele (I was taking a shower while the children were watching TV) We were living in Texas (Vivíamos en Texas) Mental/emotional states, desires, physical sensation in the past Estaba cansado (I was tired) Esperabas el bus (You were waiting for the bus) Quería mudarme a otro país (I wanted to move to another country)

8 Let s practice: -ing in the past 8 I was washing the dishes (Lavar) He was walking and I was running (Caminar, Correr) The children were playing in the garden (Jugar) Carmen was preparing dinner (Preparar) Why were you watching TV while I was studying? (Ver, Estudiar) We were thinking about you a lot (Pensar) We were trying to sleep but the baby was crying (Intentar, Llorar)

9 Let s practice: Mental/emotional states, desires, physical sensation in the past 9 I knew the answer(saber) They didn t believe me (Creer) I liked the photo of your family (Gustar) Were you thinking about me (Pensar) She worried about you a lot (Preocuparse) He hated his new boss (Odiar) Did you know him (Conocer) I liked the flowers in their garden (Gustar)

10 Uses of the imperfect 10 Would and could in the Past Cuando vivía en Florida, podía nadar todo el año (When I lived in Florida, I could swim all year long) Cuando era joven, jugaba béisbol cada fin de semana (When I was young, I would play baseball every weekend) There is and there are in the past There were 20 people at the party (Había veinte personas en la fiesta) Había tres hombres y una bebé en la película (There were 3 men and a baby in the movie)

11 Let s practice: Would and could in the Past 11 Last year they couldn t speak Spanish (Poder) When we lived in France, we would drink wine with every meal (Vivir, Tomar) As a child, John would watch TV after every meal (Ver) We would eat lunch together everyday (Almozar) My mom would go shopping every Saturday (Comprar) When I was little my mother would read to me every night (Ser, Leer) She couldn t call you because she didn t know your number (Poder, Saber)

12 Let s practice: There is/are in the past 12 There was a spider under my bed There was so much fog that I couldn t drive There was a lot of noise during the storm There were more women than men in the meeting There weren t any leaves on the tree There was no one outside There weren t any children in the playground There were five hundred pages in the book

13 Uses of the imperfect 13 Time and age in the past Eran las tres de la tarde (It was three in the afternoon) Era el jueves (It was Thursday) La niña tenia 4 años (the girl was 4 years old) No conocía Juana cuando era adolocente (I didn t know John when I was a teenager) Going to do something in the past Iba a comprar un coche (I was going to buy a car) Ibamos a comer (We were going to eat)

14 Let s Practice: 14 Time and age in the past What time was it when you got up this morning? (Ser, Levantarse) When they got up, it was six-fifteen (Levantarse) I learned how to ride a bike when I was ten (Aprender, Montar, Tener) How old were you when you started school? (Tener, Comenzar) What time was it when you came home last night?(ser, Volver)

15 Words/phrases that trigger the imperfect 15 a menudo a veces cada día (año, etc.) con frequeñcia de vez en cuando frequentamente muchas veces nunca por un rato often sometimes everyday often once in a while frequently many times never for a while

16 Words/phrases that trigger the imperfect 16 siempre tantas veces toda la vida todo el día todo el tiempo varias veces always so many times all of one s life all day all of the time several times

17 Words/phrases that trigger the imperfect 17 Cuando yo era niño, mis abuelos aún vivían en un pueblo cercano a la capital. Mis padres me llevaban los fines de semana a visitarlos. Todos disfrutábamos de esos días porque íbamos al río con mis tíos y mis primos. La comida familiar parecía una fiesta porque mi familia tenía muchos miembros y ramos muy unidos Qué tiempos aquellos!

18 Words/phrases that trigger the imperfect 18 La primera vez que me monté en un avión iba para Guatemala. Estaba muy ansiosa porque ya varias ocasiones había cancelado viajes. Ya tenía como veinte años. Y ya en el avión estaba muy, muy sorprendida y asustada, y no podía dejar de pensar en mi hermana que en esos momentos tenía seis años porque la experiencia me parecía increíble. Me sentía como una chiquita. No podía dejar de ver por la ventana. Y eso fue como lo más, lo que como me sorprendió fue cómo se veía todo. Si es un poco incómodo. Y luego hubo turbulencias, entonces era bastante bastante nerviosa estaba. Eso es.

19 Resources 19 Indiana University - Uses of the Imperfect Tense SpanishDict Imperfect Tense with Practice Exam Bowdoin - The Imperfect (with practice excercises)

20 20 Notes