Past perfect simple

Preterite perfecto simple (past perfect simple) tense describes actions in the past did.

Common irregular

• estar{estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuimos, estuvieron} be, stay.
  • estuviste en Madrid hace cuatro meses you were in Madrid 4 months ago.
• hacer{hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicieron} do, make.
  • que4 hiciste anoche what did you do last night?
  • hicimos muchas cosas en la primavera we did a lot of things in the spring.
• dar{di, diste, dio, dimos, dieron} give.
  • ella me dio una buena noticia she gave me some good news.
  • ellas no me dieron los mensajes they didn't give the messages.
• venir{vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinieron} come.
  • a que4 hora viniste anoche what time do you come last night?
  • vinimos para comprar unos bolentos we came to buy some tickets.
• leer{lei4, lei4ste, leyo4, lei4mos; leyeron} read need y for e4l, ella, usted and its plurals.
  • mi hija leyo4 ese libro el an0o pasado my daughter read that book last year.
• traer{traje, trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajeron} bring.
  • yo traje dos maletas al aeropuerto.
• decir{dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijeron} say, tell.
• dormir{dormi4, dormiste, durmio4, dormimos, durmieron}.
  • dormiste en un hotel did you sleep at a hotel?
  • los nin0os durmieron hasta tarde the children slept until late.
• tener{tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvieron} have.
  • tu2 tuviste la clase de ingle4s ayer you had the class of English yesterday?
• saber{supe, supiste, supo} know.
  • yo nunca supe su nombre I never knew his name.
• poder{pude, pudiste, pudo} be able to.
• poner{puse, pusiste, puso} put.

-ar verbs - {-e4, -aste, -o4, -amos, -aron}.

• viajar{viaje4, viajaste, viajo4, viajamos, viajaron} travel.
  • viaje4 a Italia hace ocho an0os I travelled to Italy 8 years ago.
• hablar{hable4, hablaste, hablo4, hablamos, hablaron} travel.
• -zar verbs: empezar, almorzar changes ~z-c.
  • almorce4 despue4s de la clase I ate lunch after class.
  • yo empece4 una clase muy difi4cile I started a very difficult class.
• -car verbs: practicar, buscar, tocar play; changes ~car-que4
  • nunca practique4 be4isbol I never practiced baseball.
• -gar verbs: llegar come back;
  • yo llegue4 I came back
• gustar reflexive verbs
  • me gustaron las camisetas de esa tienda I liked the T-shirts from that store.
  • me encanto4 la comida I loved the food.
  • le encantaron esos gatos he loved those cats.

-er and -ir verbs - {-i4, -iste, -o4, -imos, -ieron}.

• comer{comi4, comiste, como4, comimos, comieron} eat.
• vivir{vivi4, viviste, vivo4, vivimos, vivieron} live.
• ver{vi, viste, vio, vimos, vieron} see.
  • ayer vi a Dong en la clase de ingle4s yesterday I saw Dongmu in the class of English.
• ir go and ser be same in past: {fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fueron}.
  • yo fui maestro muchos an0os I was a teacher for many years.
  • fuimos a la playa ayer we went to the beach yesterday.

Imperfect Past

Prete4rito imperfecto Imperfect Past tense describes past conditions or actions, habitual used to do, always did, incomplete, continuous were doing

Common irregular verbs nosotros form takes an accent mark often

• ser{era, eras, era, eramos, eran}.
  • mis abuelos grandparents eran mexicanos.
  • mis hermanos y yo e4ramos nin0os tranquilos my brothers and I were quiet boys.
• ir{iba, ibas, iba, ibamos, iban} go.
  • yo siempre iba a la playa con mi hermano I always used to go to the beach with my brother.
  • nosotros i4bamos al parque todos los domingos.
• ver{vei4a, vei4as, vei4a, vei4amos, vei4an} see.
  • cuando era nin0o, yo vei4a muchas peli4culas when I was a child, I used to see a lot of movies.
  • vei4as a tu familia de Me4xico did you use to see your family from Mexico?

-ar verbs

• jugar{jugaba, jugabas, jugaba, juga4bamos, jugaban} play.
  • cuando era nin0a, yo siempre jugaba con mis mun0ecas when I was a girl, I always played with my dolls.

-er, -ir verbs

• comer{comi4a, comi4as, comi4a, comi4amos, comi4an}. -er verbs often drop the e.
  • tu2 comi4as con tu familia todos los domingos you used to eat with your family every Sunday.
• vivir{vivi4a, vivi4as, vivi4a, vivi4amos, vivi4an}.
• su familia teni4a used to have tradiciones diferentes.

were doing

• el rey y la reina caminaban por el bosque the king and queen were walking through the woods.

descriptions in the past

• ellas amaban la naturaleza they loved nature.
  something never changed: like name
• la reina se llamaba Yanet.

An action interrupted

combine preterite and imperfect

• yo disfrutaba un cafe4 cuando tu2 me llamaste I was enjoying a coffee when you called me.
• yo iba al mercado cuando vi a Dongmu I was going to the market when I saw Dongmu.

Regular expressions

Recie4n just, recently, common in Latin America + preterite

• recie4n termine4 mi tarea.

Acabar de just, common in Spain + infinitive meaning past

• acabo de terminar mi tarea I just finished my homework.

Have done recently

haber + verb-ado, -ido.

• haber{he, has, ha, hemos, han}
  • he hablado I have spoken.
  • tu2 has estudiado para el examen have you studies for the exam?
• he comido I have eaten.

irregular endings

• hacer -> hecho done, made
  • los nin0os no han hecho la tareo todavi4a the children haven't done the homework yet.
• decir -> dicho.
  • yo simepre he dicho la verdad I've always told the truth.
• poner -> puesto.
• escribir -> escrito.
• ver -> visto.

Were doing

• {estaba, estabas, estaba, estaban, esta4bamos} + verb-ndo.
  • la recepcionista estaba hablando con los clientes was talking to the customers
  • quie4n estaba usando la impresora esta man0ana who was using the printer this morning?

Doing right now

• -er, -ir verb stems mostly add -iendo -yendo if the stem ends in vowels
  • yo estoy comiendo I'm eating.
  • ir -> yendo.
  • oi4r -> oyendo.
  • traer -> trayendo.
• irregulars
  • decir -> diciendo.
  • pedir -> pidiendo.
  • dormir -> durmiendo.
  • morir -> muriendo.

Infinitive

• common - yo quiero estudiar.
• aprender, ayudar, empezar require a before the infitive
  • empiezo a trabajar el lunes I'm starting to work on Monday;
  • siempre te ayudo a estudiar I always help you to study.
• tienes que levantarte temprano you need to wake up early.
  • when giving a command, it has to be attached: leva4ntate get up!
  • sen0or, la4vese las manos en este ban0o sir, wash your hands in this bathroom
• can begin a sentence of general statement like -ing
  • dibujar es divertido drawing is fun
  • fumar cigarrillos es malo para la salud smoking cigarettes is bad for the health.

Future will

• nosotros form without accent mark
• -ar verbs: {hablare4, hablara4s, hablara4, hablaremos, hablara4n}.
  • yo hablare4 con ella man0ana I'll talk to her tomorrow.
• -er verbs: {comere4, comera4s, comera4, comeremos, comera4n}.
• -ir verbs: `{vivire4, vivira4s, vivira4, viviremos, vivira4n}.
  • cua4ntos an0os ma4s vivira4s alli4 how many more years will you live there?