Definition of the Preterite Tense in Spanish

Meaning of the Preterite Tense in Spanish Meaning of the Preterite Tense The preterite (regularly spelled past time) action word tense is the strained that communicates an activity that tookâ place at a distinct time previously. It is stood out from the flawed tense, which communicates an activity that occurred at an inconclusive time or has not been finished. The preterite is the strained that would regularly be thought of as the past tense in English. The preterite is otherwise called the basic past tense in English and as the pretã ©rito indefinido or pretã ©rito perfecto basic in Spanish. When To Use the Preterite When all is said in done, the preterite is utilized in alluding to occasions that occurred at a particular time or to rehashed occasions that occurred over a particular time. A basic model would be Ayer yo buscaba las llaves (I searched for the keys yesterday) in light of the fact that the occasion occurred at a particular time. On the off chance that youre looking at something that didnt happen at a specific time, you for the most part would utilize the flawed tense. For instance, you may state, Yo buscaba las llaves en todas partes (I searched for the keys all over), as its unknown when you did the looking. Some Spanish words and expressions, now and again known as markers, consistently or almost consistently are utilized with the preterite. Among the regular ones: anoche (last night)anteayer (the day preceding yesterday)h3Miscellaneous Facts About the Preterite/h3el aã ±o pasado (last year)ayer (yesterday)hace (_____ ago)el mes pasado (last month)el otro dã ­a (the other day)la semana pasada (a week ago) Conjugation of the Preterite Here are the regularâ conjugationsâ for the preteriteâ -ar,â -er, andâ -irâ verbs. The endings, added to the action word stems, are appeared in boldface: Exampleâ -arâ verbâ cantarâ (to sing): yo cantà ©Ã‚ (I sang)tã º cantasteâ (you sang)usted/à ©l/ella cant㠳â (you/he/she/it sang)nosotros/nosotras cantamosâ (we sang)vosotros/vosotras cantasteisâ (you sang)ustedes/ellos/ellas cantaronâ (you/they sang) Exampleâ -erâ verbâ temerâ (to dread): yo temà ­Ã‚ (I feared)tã º temisteâ (you feared)usted/à ©l/ella temi㠳â (you/he/she/it feared)nosotros/nosotras temimosâ (we feared)vosotros/vosotras temisteisâ (you feared)ustedes/ellos/ellas temieronâ (you/they dreaded) Exampleâ -irâ verbâ partirâ (to separate): yo partà ­Ã‚ (I divided)tã º partisteâ (you divided)usted/à ©l/ella parti㠳â (you/he/she/it divided)nosotros/nosotras partimosâ (we divided)vosotros/vosotras partisteisâ (you divided)ustedes/ellos/ellas partieronâ (you/they separated) Note that in the main individual plural or we frames, the structures are the equivalent for both theâ presentâ and flawed tenses. In other words,â cantamosâ can mean possibly we sing or we sang. Setting will almost consistently reveal to you which interpretation is fitting. Test Sentences Using the Preterite Pablo me hablã ³. (Pablo addressed me.) Ana escribiã ³ la carta. (Ana composed the letter). Hace dos aã ±os fuimos a Nueva Zelanda. (Two years back we went to New Zealand.) Se cayã ³ tu celular al agua y no sabes que hacer, no desesperes. (In the event that your cellphone fell into the water and you dont realize what to do, dont stress.) Se puso el sol. (The sun set.) Compraron dos respiradores para el emergency clinic. (They purchased two respirators for the clinic.) El aã ± aã ±o pasado, esperamos las lluvias, pero nunca llegaron. (A year ago we anticipated the downpours, however they never came.) Anteayer estudiamos la epidemia de Barcelona de 1821. (Two days ago we contemplated the 1821 Barcelona pandemic. Note that without anteayear, the sentence would be vague concerning whether the contemplating happened previously or is as of now occurring.) Ayearâ fui el mejor dã ­a de mi vida. (Yesterdayâ was the greatest day of my life.) Mirã © a la derecha y ella mirã ³ a la izquierda. (I looked to one side and she looked to the left.)â Different Facts About Using the Preterite The preterite is almost consistently utilized in talking about occasions that happened just one time. El concierto fue un à ©xito. (The show was a triumph.) One utilization of the preterite is to show that a procedure has gotten total. La estudiante alcanzã ³ el tã ­tulo de campeã ³n. (The understudy tookâ the title of champion.) The preterite can likewise be utilized to show the start of a procedure: Guillermo conocã ­ a mi madre. (Guillermo met my mom. Note that conocer can intend to know or to meet. The interpretation of met is utilized in light of the fact that it alludes to the second that the two individuals started to know each other.)Tuve el coche perfecto. (I got the ideal vehicle. In the event that you utilized the defective structure, tenã ­a, the action word would show responsibility for vehicle as opposed to its acquiring.)