Lección 10
La luna estaba llena y no había en el cielo ni una sola nube.
The moon was full and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. You will also see the preterite and the imperfect together in narratives such as fiction, news, and the retelling of events. The imperfect provides background information, such as time, weather, and location, while the preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.
La película empezó a las nueve.
The movie began at nine o'clock.
El camarero les servía el café.
The waiter was serving them coffee. (note there are no stem changes in the imperfect)
Siempre hacía buen tiempo en la primavera
The weather was always good in the spring
Sus amigos, los señores Vega, estaban en camino al hospital.
Their friends, Mr. and Ms. Vega, was en route to the hospital.
Había un solo médico en la sala
There was only one doctor in the room (The imperfect form of hay is había (there was; there were; there used to be). Like hay, había can be followed by a singular or plural noun)
Había dos pacientes allí.
There were two patients there. (The imperfect form of hay is había (there was; there were; there used to be). Like hay, había can be followed by a singular or plural noun)
Si ves estas palabras en una oración: de niño/a (as a child), todos los días (every day), mientras (while):
These expressions are often used with the imperfect because they express habitual or repeated actions
Se necesitan medicinas enseguida.
They need medicine right away.
Se hacen operaciones aquí
They perform operations here.
Se vende ropa
They sell clothing/Clothing is sold
Ellos pensaban que la fiesta era la próxima semana.
They thought that the party was next week.
Fueron a Buenos Aires ayer.
They went to Buenos Aires yesterday.
Ellos eran altos y tenían ojos verdes.
They were tall and had green eyes.
Trabajaban juntos y se llevaban muy bien.
They worked together and got along very well.
¿Cuando usas "se" a forma construciónes impersonales?
Verbs that are not reflexive can be used with se to form impersonal constructions. These are statements in which the person performing the action is not defined.
Victoria me lo dijo y de repente yo supe la verdad (saber).
Victoria told me it and suddenly i learned the truth
Íbamos al parque los domingos
We used to go to the park on Sundays.
Entendíamos japonés.
We used to understand Japanese. (note there are no stem changes in the imperfect)
Estábamos felices de ver a la familia.
We were happy to see our family.
Estamos en camino al hospital
We're on our way to the hospital
¿Qué te pasó? —Me torcí el tobillo
What happened to you? I sprained my ankle. (Completed actions, so in the preterite)
Cuando era joven, jugaba al tenis
When I was young, I used to play tennis.
Cuando me dolía el estómago, mi mamá me daba té de jengibre.
When my stomach hurt, my mom would give me ginger tea.
¿Dónde vivías de niño? —Vivía en San José
Where did you live as a child? I lived in San José. (Imperfect because the imperfect expresses what was happening at a certain time or how things used to be)
Ayer terminé el proyecto para la clase de química.
Yesterday I finished the project for chemistry class.
Se puede leer en la sala de espera
You can read in the waiting room.
Tú nunca llegabas tarde a clase
You never came late for class
EL conductor del autobús _____ que no _____ (ver) el carro.
dijo, vio
Si ves la palabra "ayer" pues entonces el verbo es:
preterite because they usually imply that an action has happened at a specific point in time.
Si ves la palabra "de repente," pues entonces el verbo es:
preterite because they usually imply that an action has happened at a specific point in time.
Si ves la palabra "el año pasado," pues entonces el verbo es:
preterite because they usually imply that an action has happened at a specific point in time.
Si ves la palabra "una vez" o "dos veces" o "tres veces" pues entonces el verbo es:
preterite because they usually imply that an action has happened at a specific point in time.
Según nos informaron, no ______ (14) (lastimarse) ningún pasajero del autobús.
se lastimó
por eso
that's why; therefore
dañar
to damage; to break down
caer
to fall; to drop
nos levantábamos temprano
we would get up early
Felicia leía el periódico cuando llegó Ramiro.
"Felicia was reading the newspaper when Ramiro arrived." **The preterite and the imperfect often appear in the same sentence. In such cases, the imperfect describes what was happening, while the preterite describes the action that "interrupted" the ongoing activity.
¿Cuándo usar el imperfecto? Hay 6 reglas.
1. Habitual/repeated actions 2. Events or actions that were in progress 3. physical characteristics 4. Mental or emotional states 5. Telling time 6. Age
Después de esquiar todo el día, las piernas me dolían mucho.
After skiing all day, My legs hurt a lot.
-ir and -er verb imperfect
All forms of -er and -ir verbs in the imperfect carry an accent on the first i of the ending.
Ana nunca traía dinero cuando cenar.
Ana never brought money when she had dinner.
De niño, Eduardo se enfermaba con mucha frecuencia.
As a child, Eduardo used to get sick very frequently.
De niña apenas me enfermaba.
As a child, I rarely got sick.
When there was an accident, they always analyzed the situation carefully.
Cuando había un accidente, siempre analizaban la situación con cuidado.
Papá conducía mientras mamá leía el mapa
Dad drove while mom read the map.
¿Te pusiste un suéter anoche? No, mamá. Se me olvidó.
Did you put on a sweater last night? No, mom. I forgot. (Unplanned events: what would normally be the direct object of the sentence becomes the subject, and it agrees with the verb, not with the indirect object pronoun.)
¿Usted trabajaba en aquella tienda elegante los viernes? (trabajar)
Did. you use to work en that elegant store on fridays?
Quería mucho a su familia.
He loved his family very much.
Se bajó lentamente del coche, estiró las piernas y levantó los brazos hacia el cielo oscuro.
He slowly stepped out of the car, stretched his legs, and raised his arms toward the dark sky. You will also see the preterite and the imperfect together in narratives such as fiction, news, and the retelling of events. The imperfect provides background information, such as time, weather, and location, while the preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.
Era alto y guapo
He was tall and handsome.
Su amigo Francisco tampoco podía ir a la fiesta porque tenía fiebre.
His friend Francisco couldn't go to the party either because he had a fever.
Me rompí el brazo cuando estaba paseando en bicicleta.
I broke my arm when I was riding my bike.
Me di con la mesa, me caí y me lastimé el pie.
I bumped into the table, I fell, and I injured my foot.
Tenía dolor de cabeza, pero me tomé una aspirina y se me fue.
I had a headache, but I took an aspirin and it went away.
Yo leía mientras él estudiaba.
I was reading while he was studying.
Miraba la tele cuando sonó el teléfono.
I was watching TV when the phone rang. The preterite and the imperfect often appear in the same sentence. In such cases, the imperfect describes what was happening, while the preterite describes the action that "interrupted" the ongoing activity.
Eran las once de la noche cuando él se fue
It was 11pm when he went away.
Eran las tres y media
It was 3:30.
Eran las dos de la mañana y el detective ya no podía mantenerse despierto.
It was two in the morning, and the detective could no longer stay awake. You will also see the preterite and the imperfect together in narratives such as fiction, news, and the retelling of events. The imperfect provides background information, such as time, weather, and location, while the preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.
A Javier le dolía el tobillo.
Javier's ankle was hurting. (note there are no stem changes in the imperfect)
Julieta y César / ser / paramédicos
Julieta y César eran paramédicos.
La semana pasado, Manolo y Aurora querían dar una fiesta.
Last week, Manolo and Aurora wanted to throw a party.
Manolo y Aurora se sentían muy tristes, pero tenían que preparar la comida.
Manolo and Aurora felt sad, but they had to prepare the food.
Mis amigos y yo íbamos al cine todos los sábados
My friends and I would go to the cinema every Saturday.
There wasn't much room in our little House
No había mucho espacio en nuestra casa pequeña
Por supuesto, iban a tener demasiada comida.
Of course, they were going to have too much food.
La gente veía la televisión en blanco y negro
People would watch tv in black and white.
Tristes, Manolo y Aurora, se sentaron a comer solos.
Saddened, Manolo and Aurora sat down to eat alone.
Sandra se rompió la pierna
Sandra broke her leg.
Sandra esperaba al doctor.
Sandra was waiting for the doctor.
They worried a lot for the patients.
Se preocupaban mucho por los pacientes.
Se venden camisas.
Shirts are sold/They sell shirts
If the patient was in a lot of pain, they would give them an injection.
Si el paciente tenía mucho dolor, le ponían una inyección.
Se habla español en Costa Rica.
Spanish is spoken in Costa Rica.
De repente, el detective escuchó un grito espeluznante proveniente del parque.
Suddenly, the detective heard a piercing scream coming from the park. You will also see the preterite and the imperfect together in narratives such as fiction, news, and the retelling of events. The imperfect provides background information, such as time, weather, and location, while the preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.
Los niños tenían seis años.
The children were six years old.
La doctora me miró los oídos, me hizo unas preguntas y escribió la receta.
The doctor looked in my ears, asked me some questions, and wrote the prescription.
El médico se preocupaba por sus pacientes.
The doctor worried about his patients.
¡La comida estaba malísima!
The food was extremely bad!
La chica quería descansar. Se sentía mal y tenía dolor de cabeza.
The girl wanted to rest. She felt ill and had a headache.
Si ves la palabra "anteayer," pues entonces el verbo es:
preterite because they usually imply that an action has happened at a specific point in time.
Él ____ (perder) el control del autobús y no ____ evitar (avoid) el accidente.
perdió, pudo
Ayer temprano por la mañana (1) _____ (haber) un trágico accidente en el centro de San José cuando el conductor de un autobús no (2) _____ (ver) venir un carro.
hubo, vio
Si ves la palabra "con frecuencia" pues entonces el verbo es: (frequently)
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Si ves la palabra "de niño/a," pues entonces el verbo es:
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Si ves la palabra "mientras" pues entonces el verbo es:
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Si ves la palabra "siempre" pues entonces el verbo es:
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Si ves la palabra "todas las semanas" pues entonces el verbo es:
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
Si ves la palabra "todos los días," pues entonces el verbo es:
imperfect because they usually express habitual or repeated actions in the past.
como siempre
like always/as always/as usual
Liliana _____ los aretes la semana pasada. (perder)
los aretes=earrings perdió
La mujer que (3) ___ (manejar) el carro (4) ___ (morir) al instante y los paramédicos (5)___ (tener) que llevar al pasajero al hospital porque (6)___ (sufrir) varias fracturas.
manejaba, murió, tuvieron, sufrió
El año pasado _______ los gemelos Mara y Marcos (nacer)
nacieron
-Ar verb imperfect
note that the nosotros form of -ar verbs always carries an accent mark on the first a of the ending.
Por supuesto
of course, naturally
