Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish

Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish English has one simple past tense, but Spanish has two: the preterite and the imperfect. The two past tenses refer in different ways to what has happened. They are called the simple past tenses to distinguish them from verb forms that use an auxiliary verb, such as has left in English and ha salido in Spanish. In other words, the simple past tenses use a single word. Although the English past in a sentence such as he ate can be conveyed in Spanish using either the preterite (comià ³) or the imperfect indicative (comà ­a), the two tenses dont mean the same thing. In general, the preterite is used when speaking of completed action, indicating the verbs action had a clear end. The imperfect is used to refer to an action that doesnt have a specific ending. Here are some more specific uses to clarify the differences between the two tenses. Note that the imperfect is frequently translated in ways other than the English simple past. Key Takeaways: Spanish Simple Past Tense Although English has one simple (single-word) past tense, Spanish has two, and they usually arent interchangeable.In general, the preterite tense is used for actions that took place over a clear period of time.In general, the imperfect tense is used for actions whose conclusion isnt irrelevant or unspecified. Uses for the Preterite Tense The preterite (often spelled preterite) is used to tell of something that happened once: Fuimos ayer a la playa. (We went to the beach yesterday.)Escribà ­ la carta. (I wrote the letter.)Compramos un coche azul.  (We bought a blue car.) It can also tell of something that happened more than once but with a specific end: Fui ayer seis veces a la tienda. (I went to the store six times yesterday.)Leyà ³ el libro cinco veces. (He read the book five times.) Finally, the preterite can indicate the beginning or end of a process: Tuvo frà ­o. (He got cold.)El huracn se terminà ³ a las ocho. (The hurricane was finished at 8.) Uses for the Imperfect Tense On the other hand, the imperfect tells of past habitual or repeated actions where theres no definite end specified. It is often translated as used to verb, would verb, or was/were verb -ing. Iba a la tienda. (I used to go to the store. Note that it is possible that the verbs action continues today.)Leà ­amos los libros. (We would read the books. The English would is sometimes used for the imperfect, as it is here, but it also is sometimes used for the conditional tense.)Lavaban las manos. (They were washing their hands.)Escribà ­a muchas cartas. (I wrote many letters.) The imperfect can describe a condition, mental state, or state of being from the past: Habà ­a una casa aquà ­. (There used to be a house here.)Era està ºpido. (He was stupid.)No te conocà ­a. (I didnt know you.)Querà ­a estar feliz. (He wanted to be happy.)Tenà ­a frà ­o. (He was cold.) To describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time: Se pondrà ­a la ropa de deporte. (She was putting on her athletic clothing.)Cuando Josà © tocaba el piano, Marà ­a comà ­a. (While Josà © was playing the piano, Marà ­a was eating.) To indicate time or age in the past: Era la una de la tarde. (It was 1 p.m.)Tenà ­a 43 aà ±os. (She was 43 years old.) Other Distinctions Between the Past Tenses The imperfect is frequently used to provide the background for an event that is described using the preterite. Era [imperfect] la una de la tarde cuando comià ³ [preterite]. (It was 1 p.m. when she ate.)Yo escribà ­a [imperfect] cuando llegaste [preterite]. (I was writing when you arrived.) Because of the way the two tenses are used, some verbs can be translated using differing words in English depending on the tense in Spanish. This is especially true when the preterite is used to indicate the beginning or end of a process. Conocà ­ [preterite] al presidente. (I met the president.) Conocà ­a [imperfect] al presidente. (I knew the president.)Tuvo [preterite]  frà ­o. (He got cold.) Tenà ­a [imperfect] frà ­o. (He was cold.)Supe [preterite] escuchar. (I found out how to listen.) Sabà ­a [imperfect] escuchar. (I knew how to listen.) Some of the sentences in this lesson could be stated in either tense with a slight change of meaning. For example, while Escribà ­a muchas cartas would be the typical way of saying I wrote many letters, as that is something that typically would take place over an unspecified period of time, one also might say Escribà ­ muchas cartas. But the meaning of the sentence, not readily translatable without a context to English, would change to indicate that the speaker was referring to a specific point in time. For example, if you were talking about writing many letters while you were on a particular trip, you might use the preterite form.

5 Funny Figures of Speech

5 Funny Figures of Speech 5 Funny Figures of Speech 5 Funny Figures of Speech By Mark Nichol Wordplay is a fertile field for study in English. Although the following forms of humor should be used sparingly if at all, writers should be familiar with them and their possibilities. 1. Malapropism A malapropism, the substitution of a word with a similar-sounding but incongruous word, may be uttered accidentally or, for humorous effect, may be deliberate. The name derives from that of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in an eighteenth-century play who often uttered such misstatements; one of her comments, for example, is â€Å"she’s as headstrong as an allegory,† when she meant to say â€Å"alligator.† (The word ultimately derives from the French phrase mal propos, meaning â€Å"poorly placed.†) Numerous characters are assigned this amusing attribute; the Shakespearean character Dogberry’s name inspired an alternate label. 2. Spoonerism Spoonerisms are similar to malapropisms; the distinction is that a spoonerism is a case of metathesis, in which parts of two words are exchanged, rather than one word substituted for another. This figure of speech was named after a nineteenth-century Oxford academician who appears to have been credited with various misstatements he did not make; one of the many apocryphal examples is â€Å"a well-boiled icicle† (in lieu of â€Å"a well-oiled bicycle†). 3. Paraprosdokian The word for this type of wordplay, from Greek (meaning â€Å"against expectation†) but coined only a few decades ago, refers to a sentence with a humorously abrupt shift in intent, such as â€Å"I don’t belong to an organized political party I’m a Democrat,† from twentieth-century American humorist Will Rogers, or Winston’s Churchill’s summation of a colleague, â€Å"A modest man, who has much to be modest about.† 4. Tom Swifty This name for an adverb, used in an attribution for dialogue, that punningly applies to the words spoken (for example, â€Å"‘We just struck oil!’ Tom gushed†) was inspired by the writing style in a series of children’s novels featuring the character Tom Swift, written continuously since the early twentieth century. Although no such puns appear in these stories, such examples are suggestive of the overwrought adverbs that are a distinctive feature. (Originally, such a pun was called a Tom Swiftly.) 5. Wellerism A Wellerism, named after a Dickensian character, is a statement that includes a humorous contradiction or a quirky lapse in logic, such as â€Å"‘So I see,’ said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw,† or a prosaic similar construction whose humor derives from a pun, as in â€Å"‘We’ll have to rehearse that,’ said the undertaker as the coffin fell out of the car† (which plays on the prefix re- in association with the noun hearse). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheAdverbs and Hyphens