Unit 7 (Unidad 7) Imperfect tense (El tiempo imperfecto/copret ´ erito [M]) Level 1 1.1 The imperfect tense (El tiempo imperfecto/copret ´ erito [M]) 1.1 The imperfect tense The imperfect tense is to be studied in conjunction with the preterit or past definite in the next unit (unit 8), since they are frequently linked to each other. In addition to the perfect tense (a compound tense) treated in Unit 5, Spanish has two past tenses of simple form: the imperfect (pret ´ erito imperfecto or copret ´ erito as it is known in Mexico) and the preterit. In regular verbs, the imperfect tense is obtained by adding the following endings to the stem: 1st conjugation 2nd and 3rd conjugation -aba -´ıa -abas -´ıas –aba -´ıa –´abamos -´ıamos –abais -´ıais –aban -´ıan Imperfect tense of the model verbs: compraba vend ´ ıa viv ´ ıa Sing. comprabas vend ´ ıas viv ´ ıas compraba vend ´ ıa viv ´ ıa compr ´ abamos vend ´ ıamos viv ´ ıamos Plur. comprabais vend ´ ıais viv ´ ıais compraban vend ´ ıan viv ´ ıan NB You will note that the first and third person singular of these conjugations are the same so sometimes, to avoid ambiguity, it may be necessary to use the pronouns yo, Ud., ´ el and ella, although context would usually make this clear. Theformation of the imperfect tense is different in only three irregular verbs. This makes the learning of the imperfect quite easy. The three awkward verbs are: ser: era eras era ´eramos erais eran ir: iba ibas iba ´ıbamos ibais iban ver: ve´ıa ve´ıas ve´ıa ve´ıamos ve´ıais ve´ıan 58 7 Imperfect tense The fundamental value of the imperfect tense is to express continuance, as of an action prolonged either in itself or by successive repetition. It conveys what was habitual, cus- tomary, and describes qualities of persons or things, and the place or condition in which they were, in the past. Yo compraba corresponds to the English I was buying, used to buy, would buy and bought.Inthis sense, it is much simpler than the several English equivalents, which makes life difficult for Spanish speakers learning English: and for English speakers this compensates for the subjunctive, for instance, to be studied in unit 16. Various ways in which the imperfect is used: i To convey repeated and habitual past actions: Yo iba siempre al mismo supermercado Ialwayswent to the same superstore Los cuates (M)sedivert´ıan cada d´ıa en la alberca (M) The friends had fun every day in the swimming pool Fumaba una cajetilla diaria She smoked a packet a day ii To describe an action that was in progress: Le´ıa el peri´odico She was reading the newspaper . . . Sal´ıa del colegio cuando . I was coming out of school when . Est´abamos en la playa cuando . . . We were on the beach when . Planeaban visitar Espa˜na They planned (were planning) to visit Spain iii To describe physical, mental or emotional states in the past: Estaba agotada She was exhausted Los mellizos ten´ıan once a˜nos The twins were eleven years old Ador´abamos la ´opera We adored opera Hac´ıa sol todos los d´ıas It was sunny every day Sab´ıan resolver todos los problemas They could solve all the problems iv To refer to the time in the past: Era la una It was one o’clock Eran las cuatro y media It was half-past four Exercises Level 1 i Change the subject of the verb to the subject in brackets: Example Yo com´ıa carne una vez a la semana ( ´ El) > ´ El com´ıa carne una vez a la semana a Yo guardaba el dinero en una bolsa (Nosotras) b Hablaban todos los d´ıas en el patio (Nosotras) c Sal´ıamos muy temprano por la ma ˜nana (Yo) d Ve´ıa la televisi´on todas las noches (Ellos) e ´ Ibamos de compras el viernes (Ella) f Yo correg´ıa los ejercicios por la tarde (Nosotros) g Com´ıamos a la una (Yo) h Ten´ıa que tomar el tren en Guanajuato (Ellas) i Lavaban los platos despu´es de la cena (Yo) 59 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH ii Fill out the spaces with the imperfect tense of the verb indicated. Choose your own subject. Example ( ) comer el pescado (preferir) > Prefer´ıan comer el pescado a ( ) comprar el libro (querer) b ( ) leer este libro (pensar) c ( ) que salir (tener) d ( )aver la tele (ir) e ( )invitar a todo el mundo (querer) f ( )ganas de nadar (tener) g ( )iralmercado (necesitar) h ( ) jugar golf (M) (pensar) (not jugar al golf as in Spain) iii Paired activity Objective – Use of the imperfect tense Method –The two participants ask each other ten questions in the imperfect tense. Answers are also given in the imperfect tense. Examples PREGUNTA: ¿En d´onde viv´ıas en M´exico? RESPUESTA: (Yo) Viv´ıa en Monterrey PREGUNTA: ¿Qu´evend´ıa el comerciante en el mercado? RESPUESTA: Vend´ıa fruta y verduras The teacher will then bring the whole class together to discuss the findings Level 2 2.1 Certain verbs with no English equivalent (Ciertos verbos sin equivalente ingl ´ es) 2.1 Certain verbs with no English equivalent There are a number of verbs which are used in the imperfect tense, and in the present tense (see relevant section on the present tense in unit 4), and do not have a proper English equivalent. Among these are: acostumbrar, soler, llevar, hacer.They are used in the following way: acostumbrar hacer algo to be accustomed to doing something soler hacer algo (less used in M)tobeaccustomed to doing something llevar tanto tiempo haciendo algo/hacer tanto tiempo (to) have been doing something for so much time/to take so much time to do ./so much time ago Ejemplos Acostumbraba desayunar huevos con jam´on I usually had ham and eggs for breakfast Sol´ıa estudiar sobre todo por la ma˜nana I usually studied mainly in the morning Estos melones sol´ıan ser muy ricos These melons used to be very good 60 7 Imperfect tense Sol´ıan venir aqu´ı los martes They used to / would come on Tuesdays Yo llevaba diez a˜nos en Veracruz cuando . I had been in Veracruz for ten years when . Llevaban tres d´ıas trabajando cuando . They had been working for three days when . Llevaba dos d´ıas sin fumar I had not smoked for two days Hac´ıa seis meses que hab´ıa llegado He had arrived six months before Hab´ıan salido para Brasil hac´ıa un mes They had left for Brazil a month before Hac´ıa seis meses que hab´ıan sido capturados They had been captured six months before Exercises Level 2 i Elije un verbo adecuado despu ´es de pero y ponlo (put it)enpret´erito imperfecto Ejemplo Yo quer´ıa ir al teatro pero ( ) > Yo quer´ıa ir al teatro pero no ten´ıa tiempo a Intentaba hallar (M)/encontrar trabajo pero ( ) b Procuraban resolver el enigma pero ( ) c Parec´ıan ingleses pero ( ) d Siempre lograban programar el viaje pero ( ) e Cada d´ıa evit´abamos las faenas de la casa pero ( ) f Siempre promet´ıas recogerme en tu carro pero ( ) g Preve´ıamos salir cada fin de semana pero ( ) h De vez en cuando insist´ıa en devolver el dinero pero ( ) ii Ibas a la sierra con frecuencia (solo o con amigos/as). Usando los verbos de abajo, escribe una peque ˜na redacci ´on que relata las actividades que realizabas. Huelga a˜nadir que el pret ´erito imperfecto es el tiempo dominante ir, llamar, tener rentado/alquilado, salir, estar, ser, llegar, conducir, bajar, subir, aumentar, sudar, hacer, cultivar, poder, querer, advertir, planear, prohibir. iii Llena los espacios (M) / Rellena los blancos con soler, llevar o (desde) hacer, seg ´un el sentido. Se trata de usar el pret ´erito imperfecto. Ejemplo Yo ( ) diez a˜nos trabajando en la empresa cuando gan´elaloter´ıa > Yo llevaba . a Nosotros ( ) dos a˜nos en la casa cuando decidimos comprarla b Ella ( ) escritas dos cartas cuando tuvo que salir c Ellos ( )mucho rato esperando en la estaci´on d Yo ( ) media hora en el hospital e Yo ( ) leer toda la tarde f Estos melones ( ) ser muy ricos pero ahora no son tan buenos g T´u( )venir aqu´ı cada fin de semana pero no vienes nunca ahora h ´ El ( ) manejar un carro (M) pero despu´es del accidente lo vendi´o i Yo le´ıa un libro ( )mucho tiempo cuando son´oeltel´efono j ´ El estudiaba ( )tresa˜nos cuando se licenci´o iv Actividad en parejas Objetivo –Eluso de los verbos acostumbrar, soler, llevar and hacer in the imper- fect tense, y seg´un su uso en 2.1. 61 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH M ´ etodo – Cada uno de la pareja le hace al otro cinco preguntas en imperfecto. El otro contesta y hace cinco preguntas a su vez Ejemplos PREGUNTA: ¿Qu´e sol´ıas hacer en Santa M´onica? RESPUESTA: Sol´ıa nadar todos los d´ıas PREGUNTA: ¿Ad´onde acostumbrabas ir de vacaciones? RESPUESTA: Acostumbraba ir a Acapulco Despu´es, el profesor re´une a todo el mundo para recabar (collect together) todas las preguntas yrespuestas. 62 Unit 8 (Unidad 8) Preterit tense or past definite (El pret ´ erito indefinido / pret ´ erito perfecto simple) Level 1 1.1 Preterit tense (El pret ´ erito) 1.1 Preterit tense Thepreterit tense, or past definite, in Spanish, as in English, is used to described single, completed actions in the past. These actions may be single or multiple. It corresponds therefore to the English I spoke/ran/did/went, etc. = habl´e, corr´ı, hice, fui.Itneeds to be distinguished from the imperfect and perfect tenses, a distinction which will be dealt with in level 2. Formation: to the stem are added the following 1st conjugation 2nd and 3rd conjugations (2 and 3 are the same) -´e-´ı -aste -iste -´o-i´o -amos -imos -asteis -isteis -aron -ieron Preterit tense of the three model verbs compr´evend´ı viv´ı Sing. compraste vendiste viviste compr´ovendi´o vivi´o compramos vendimos vivimos Plur. comprasteis vendisteis vivisteis compraron vendieron vivieron This has been easy up to now. However, there areanumber of irregular verbs the stems of which are entirely different from the stems of the infinitive. The one compensation is that the preterits of ser and ir are the same, so you save a few minutes here. Now, let’s look at the main irregular verbs: 63 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH dar (d) di diste dio dimos disteis dieron decir (dij) dije dijiste dijo dijimos dijisteis dijeron estar (estuv) estuve estuviste estuvo estuvimos estuvisteis estuvieron haber (hub) hube hubiste hubo hubimos hubisteis hubieron hacer (hic) hice hiciste *hizo hicimos hicisteis hicieron ir (fu) fui fuiste fue fuinos fuisteis fueron ser (fu) fui fuiste fue fuinos fuisteis fueron poder (pud) pude pudiste pudo pudimos pudisteis pudieron querer (quis) quise quisiste quiso quisimos quisisteis quisieron saber (sup) supe supiste supo supimos supisteis supieron tener (tuv) tuve tuviste tuvo tuvimos tuvisteis tuvieron venir (vin) vine viniste **vino vinimos vinisteis vinieron Note *hizo where the c is logically changed into a z to preserve the sound. Otherwise a retained c would produce a k sound. And don’t become inebriated with **vino! (What’s the joke here?) As stated above, the preterit refers to completed actions, no matter how long these actions last. They could have lasted for hundreds of years, but if they have ended, the preterit is used. Examples Fui a Nueva York la semana pasada Iwent to New York last week Regresaron de Inglaterra en junio They came back from England in June ¿Cu´ando aprendiste a nadar? When did you learn to swim? Julio C´esar vivi´o cincuenta y siete a˜nos y muri´oenel a˜no 44 antes de Cristo Julius Caesar lived for fifty-seven years and died in 44 BC Cervantes, como Shakespeare, naci´oenelsiglo diecis´eis, y murieron el mismo a˜no Cervantes, like Shakespeare, was born in the sixteenth century, and they died in the same year A series of sequential actions is also conveyed by the preterit: Regres´ealas diez, me acost´eenseguida y me levant´e muy temprano Ireturned at ten o’clock, went to bed straight away and got up very early Exercises Level 1 iInthe following sentences, change the subject for the new one in brackets Example Met´ıeldinero en el bolsillo (Ella) > (Ella) meti´oeldinero en el bolsillo a Sal´ı despu´es de desayunar (nosotros) b Abri´olapuerta (la chica) c Cerraron la ventana (yo) d ¿Qu´e comisteis en el restaurante? (t´u) ePerdi´osubolso en la playa (yo) f Fui a Madrid la semana pasada (ellas) g¿Aqu´e hora volvieron anoche? (t´u) h Los turistas pasaron un mes en el hotel (mi hermano) i¿Porqu´e bebiste tanta coca cola? (ellos) 64 8 Preterit tense or past definite j Estuve en M´alaga ayer (nosotras) k¿Porqu´e hiciste tus deberes anoche? (el chico) lNoviniste a verme el domingo pasado (´el) ii In the following sentences change the verb in italics into the preterit: Example Jos´e bebe mucha agua > Antonio bebi´omucha agua a Juan compra dos panecillos b Voy al colegio c Cumplo dos a˜nos d Los chicos regresan tarde e Los pol´ıticos no est´an de acuerdo f Las mujeres preparan una comida rica g A las diez salen a pasearse por el parque h ¿Por qu´enomeinvit´ais a cenar? i ¿Vives lejos de Los ´ Angeles? j Hace un poco de nataci´on iii Answer the following questions, using the preterit Example ¿D´onde dormiste anoche? > Dorm´ıenmicama, ¡claro! a ¿A d´onde fuiste ayer? b ¿Cu´anto tiempo pasaste all´ı? c ¿Estuviste con amigos? d ¿Disfrut´omucho todo el mundo? e ¿Se quedaron contigo todos tus amigos? f ¿Comisteis / comieron (M)enuncaf´e? g ¿Qu´e comieron (M)/comisteis? h ¿Qu´e bebisteis / bebieron (M)? i ¿Volvisteis / Regresaron (M)muytarde? j ¿Dormiste bien? iv Paired activity Objective –Touse the preterit or past definite tense Method – Ask each other ten questions. After all the pairs have completed their question and answer session, you all come together. You choose one pair and ask them questions in the plural, using Uds.Ifyou were in Spain you would use the vosotros form.You should end up practicing the yo, t´u, nosotros/as, vosotros/as and Uds. forms of the verb Examples PREGUNTA: ¿D´onde fuiste ayer? RESPUESTA: Fui a la alberca (M)/piscina PREGUNTA: ¿D´onde encontraste tu libro? RESPUESTA: Encontr´emilibro en mi casa or preferably Lo encontr´eenmicasa 65 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH Examples with whole class PREGUNTA: ¿Por qu´e fueron/fuisteis a la alberca (M)/piscina ayer? RESPUESTA: Fuimos a la alberca (M)/piscina por que hac´ıa calor PREGUNTA: ¿D´onde vivieron/vivisteis el a˜no pasado? RESPUESTA: Vivimos en Veracruz Yo u need to be smart here because you could need the imperfect tense at times. See unit 7. Here are some verbs you could use: encontrar, caminar, correr, llegar, recibir, venir, comprar, dar, decir, estudiar, trabajar, arreglar, esperar, perder Level 2 2.1 Differences between the preterit and the imperfect (Diferencias entre el pret ´ erito y el imperfecto) 2.2 Differences between the preterit and the perfect (Diferencias entre el pret ´ erito y el pret ´ erito perfecto) 2.3 The preterit and perfect in Mexico (El pret ´ erito y el pret ´ erito perfecto en M ´ exico) 2.1 Differences between the preterit and the imperfect i Whereas the imperfect tense relates to events that have no clear ending, or take place over an unspecified period of time, the preterit refers to a very sharply defined action or event. The Spanish equivalent of the English I was reading the paper when my sister walked in is: Le ´ ıa el peri ´ odico cuando entr ´ omihermana. The imperfect is continuous time while the preterit cuts across this continuum. Put another way, when we express two past actions, occurring at the same time, the shorter action is conveyed by the preterit while the longer one is in the imperfect. This explanation is better understood by a simple diagram: Past Present Le´ıa el peri´odico (longer action) ⇑ cuando entr´omihermana (shorter or single action) Otros ejemplos Mientras escrib´ıa la carta dieron las once While I was writing the letter, it struck eleven o’clock Mientras se abr´ıa la puerta dej´e caer / se me cay´ola pluma (M)/elbol´ıgrafo While the door was opening I dropped the pen ii Words associated with the preterit: ayer, la semana pasada, el a ˜ no pasado, anoche, una vez, de repente, de s ´ ubito, s ´ ubitamente (in other words, specific points in time). Words associated with the imperfect: mientras, todos los d ´ ıas, cada a ˜ no, con frecuencia, frecuentemente, a menudo, de ni ˜ no, de joven (in other words, habitual or general features in the past). 66 8 Preterit tense or past definite iii Of course, these words do not automatically trigger the imperfect or the preterit; witness the following cases: Ayer jugu´eb´eisbol (M)/alb´eisbol Yesterday I played baseball Ayer jugaba f´utbol cuando llovi´o Yesterday I was playing football when it rained De ni˜no tocaba la guitarra As a child I used to play the guitar De ni˜no empec´eatocar la guitarra As a child I began to play the guitar iv In historical narration, the distinction is not always so clear. The preterit can apply to actions or events of some duration, but it still evokes something accidental or temporary. Ejemplos C´esar escribi´olahistoria de sus conquistas Caesar wrote the history of his conquests Los aztecas conquistaron toda Mesoam´erica The Aztecs conquered all Meso-America If the preterit tenses in the above were changed to the imperfect, their sentences and meaning would be incomplete without some complementary clause such as: C´esar escrib´ıa . . . cuando estall´o una guerra Caesar was writing .whenawarbroke out Los aztecas conquistaban .cuando llegaron los espa˜noles The Aztecs were conquering .whenthe Spaniards arrived v In narrations the preterit tells the occurrences which provide the thread of the story while the imperfect describes the scenes in which they occurred; witness the following narrative: El sol brillaba en un cielo sin nubes. Soplaba una brisa muy agradable y las olas chapoteaban dulcemente sobre el agua. El barco deslizaba silenciosamente por entre las rocas, el gorjeo de las gaviotas nos embelesaba y disfrut ´ abamos de la tranquilidad del ambiente. De s ´ubito, se oy ´ o una explosi´on ensordecedora, y apareci ´ o en el cielo un cohete que cre ´ o un destello azul. Nos quedamos at´onitas. Nos entr ´ o una sensaci´on de asombro. RB (There is quite a lot of new vocabulary here. But you can guess the meaning in most cases.) 2.2 Differences between the preterit and the perfect Thefollowing comments are complicated by different usage in Spanish America and Iberian Spanish. Remarks are limited initially to Spain but Spanish American and, notably, Mexican usage will subsequently be treated. If the occurrence took place within a space of time not yet expired, as this day, month, year, etc., or if it is in any way connected with the present, the perfect tense is employed. But if distance in time intervenes, the preterit may well be used. Compare the two examples: He escrito dos cartas esta ma˜nana Iwrote two letters this morning Escrib´ı dos cartas ayer Iwrote two letters yesterday 67 [...]... Palenque? ¿Te ca´ste en el colegio? ı iv Actividad en parejas Objetivo – Empezar una frase con el imperfecto / copret´ rito (M) y terminarla con el e pret´ rito e M´ todo – La primera persona (A) de la pareja empieza una frase con el imperfecto y e la segunda (B) la termina con el pret´ rito Intenten crear seis frases e 69 A STUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH Ejemplos A: B: A: B: (Yo) cantaba en el sal´ n cuando... in M) a e a e Dorm´amos cuando ( ) ı Manejaba el carro (M) cuando ( ) Planchaba los pantalones cuando ( ) Hablaba por tel´ fono cuando ( ) e ii Cambia el infinitivo entre parentesis al preterito simple o al preterito imperfecto, ´ ´ ´ segun el sentido ´ El verano pasado (ir) de campamento a la sierra Me (acompa˜ ar) varios amigos que n (estudiar) en la misma universidad Cada uno (llevar) una mochila,... el preterito perfecto, indicando “varias veces” ´ Ejemplo ¿Fuiste a Cuernavaca? > S´, he ido tres veces ı a b c d e f g ¿O´ste el ruido en la calle? ı ¿Le´ste la novela que te hab´a prestado? ı ı ¿Vio Ud esa pel´cula? ı ¿Perdiste tus llaves? ¿Fueron Uds al Museo de Antropolog´a? ı ¿Visitaron Uds Palenque? ¿Te ca´ste en el colegio? ı iv Actividad en parejas Objetivo – Empezar una frase con el imperfecto...A STUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH He escrito could not be easily be used in the second case However, escrib´ could be ı used in the first case if the point at which the person speaks is the evening, and not, say, mid-day or two o’clock in the... present time) No fui a Espa˜ a este a˜ o n n I didn’t go to Spain this year (excludes the present time) Le escrib´ a mi padre el Martes ı I wrote to my father on Tuesday (excludes the present time) Le he escrito a mi padre varias veces I’ve written to my father a few times (includes the present time) M´xico ha producido muchos autores eminentes e Mexico has produced many eminent writers (includes the present... I’ve cleaned my teeth Have you seen / Did you see the movie? They’ve voted for the president The price has gone up Of course the last example could mean: the price went up (i.e weeks ago) 68 8 Preterit tense or past definite Exercises Level 2 i Completa: Ejemplo Admiraba la bah´a cuando ( ) > o´ un ruido ensordecedor ı ı a b c d e f g h i j k Beb´a tranquilamente mi tequila cuando ( ) ı Carlos tocaba . Imperfect tense (El tiempo imperfecto/copret ´ erito [M]) Level 1 1.1 The imperfect tense (El tiempo imperfecto/copret ´ erito [M]) 1.1 The imperfect tense. Preterit tense or past definite (El pret ´ erito indefinido / pret ´ erito perfecto simple) Level 1 1.1 Preterit tense (El pret ´ erito) 1.1 Preterit tense