El Pretrito vs' El Imperfecto

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El Pretérito vs. El Imperfecto

• A question of HOW LONG?

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Lets REMEMBER.

• Preterit tells us when something is DONE.
• Its essentially the ed tense.
• Imperfect tells us that something used to happen,
  or happened for some time in the past, but we
  dont know for how long it may even still be
  going on.
• The key words are USED TO and
• WAS -ING.

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The Preterit is a COMPLETED past action that is
DONE! POOF!

• The Imperfect is an ONGOING past action that we
  dont know for how long it has happened, or if it
  is still going on?!?

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Use the PRETERIT in sentences that have indicated
a SPECIFIC time, like one day, last Saturday,
July 4th, etc.

• Last night I ate chicken soup.
• Anoche comí sopa de pollo.
• On Saturday I went to the hockey game.
• El sábado fui al partido del hockey.

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Here is the list of key words that indicate
SPECIFIC TIME, PRETERIT put them in your notes!

• Anoche last night
• Ayer yesterday
• El martes (lunes, etc.) on Tuesday
• El 5 de octubre (any date) October 5th
• El año pasado last year
• El mes pasado last month
• La semana pasada last week
• El fin de semana the weekend

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Use the IMPERFECT in sentences that you dont
know for how long the action occurred. A
GENERAL time like always, on Saturdays,
sometimes, etc.

• I ate shrimp from time to time.
• Comía gambas de vez en cuando.
• I used to study all the time.
• Estudiaba todo el tiempo.

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Here is the list of key words that indicate a
GENERAL TIMEIMPERFECTput them in your notes!

• Siempre always
• A veces sometimes
• De vez en cuando from time to time
• Los sábados (martes, etc.) on Saturdays
• Todo el tiempo all the time
• Cada día (lunes, mes, etc.) every day
• Generalmente generally
• Frecuentemente frequently

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SO In SUMMARY

• Preterit means ED, and is POOF done! It is a
  completed past action.
• Imperfect means USED TO, and WAS ING! We dont
  know for HOW LONG it happened in the past. It
  may still be going on. WHO KNOWS? Only the
  speaker.

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Try this. Would you choose preterit or imperfect
for the following sentences?

• I went to the store yesterday.
• a. preterit b. imperfect
• I saw Adela there.
• a. preterit b. imperfect
• She was wearing a gray t-shirt.
• a. preterit b. imperfect
• She and her friend were buying toothpaste.
• a. preterit b. imperfect
• I bought a new CD.
• a. preterit b. imperfect

You must get them all right. The last correct
answer will allow you to move on!
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Sí !

• Its preterit because there is a specific time
  indicated and you know that it is POOF, done!
• ?
• Buen trabajo! Back

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No mira otra vez

• There must be a specific time indicated.
  Thats why you choose preterit! It could also be
  that its just DONEPOOF!
• Back

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Buenísimo!

• A general time, or no indication
• of how long the action occurred
• is the IMPERFECT tense! Yeah!!!
• Back

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Uh-oh piensa un poco

• There must NOT be a specific time indicated.
  Thats why you choose imperfect.
• Go back and read the sentence and ask yourself
  For how long has this action occurred? Could it
  still be going?
• If you cannot answer those questions its
  IMPERFECT!
• back

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Youre doing FANTÁSTICO!

• Now lets try it in Spanish!
• Choose A or B to fill in the blank.
• El año pasado mi madre _______ un
• carro nuevo.
• a. compró b. compraba

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? Buen Trabajo! ?

• She bought it
• thats a completed past action.
• Plus we know the specific time
• last year.

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Ay! No sigue tratando.

• Is there a specific time? USE PRETERIT!
• Is there a general time? USE IMPERFECT!

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Try one more

• _________ libros de misterio todo el tiempo.
• a. Leí b. Leía

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MUY BIEN!

• I used to read all of the time.
• All the time is a general time indicating
  imperfect!
• Bien hecho.

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Ay! No sigue tratando.

• Is there a specific time? USE PRETERIT!
• Is there a general time? USE IMPERFECT!

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Ay! No sigue tratando.

• Is there a specific time? USE PRETERIT!
• Is there a general time? USE IMPERFECT!

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Lets try a couple more

• Anoche ___________ la televisión por dos horas.
• a. miré b. miraba
• El sábado pasado yo ___________ al centro
  comercial.
• a. fui b. iba

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Increíble

• Last night I watched television for two hours.
• LAST NIGHT is the specific time that tells you to
  use preterit!
• Buen trabajo!!!

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Tú eres la BOMBA!

• Last Saturday I went to the mall POOF, its
  done I went on the specific time of last
  Saturday which indiactes preterit.
• Muy bien!

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Alright lets see what ya got?

• Now pick the correct form of the verb, AND the
  reason WHY! Yikes! Think clearly! Look for the
  key words!
• Siempre ____________ a la escuela.
• a. conducía/ I drove
• b. conduje/ siempre is a key word for the
• preterit tense
• c. conducía/ siempre is a key word for the
  imperfect tense
• d. conduje/ I poof drove, that one time

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Bzzzttt incorrect!

• Wrong tense, wrong reason
• Do you know why?

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Right tense

• Wrong reason
• Mira otra vez

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FANTÁSTICO

• Muy bien YOU GOT IT!
• Siempre IS a general time and we now know that
  means IMPERFECT!
• ?
• Keep up the good work and clear thinking!

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Lets take a look at some pictures.

• What sentence do you think goes with this
  picture?

• Una vez Keely cocinó.
• Keely cocinaba ayer.
• Keely cocina siempre.

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Uh-oh

• Keely was cooking yesterday.
• It clashes because yesterday is a specific time,
  indicating preterit BUT was cooking is an
  imperfect translation
• Go back and try again.

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UFF umm not exactly

• So, there are a few problems here if you notice,
  the verb is in the present tense. ?
• Also note that SIEMPRE is a key word for the
  IMPERFECT tense.
• Hmm try again.

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Sí!

• Una vez one time
• One time is a specific time that indicates a
  completed past action preterit!

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Keely / escuchar

• Keely escucha a abuela.
• Keely siempre escuchaba bien a abuela.
• A veces Keely escuchó bien a abuela.

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Nope

• You chose an answer that is using the PRESENT
  tense.
• Look for a PAST tense answer either
• Specific time PRETERIT
• General time IMPERFECT

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Lo siento

• A veces Keely escuchó bien a abuela.
• Sometimes Keely listened well to grandma.
• It doesnt work because A VECES indicates
  IMPERFECT, but escuchó is preterit it doesnt
  match!

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MUY BIEN

• E x c e l l e n t e !
• Keely always used to listen well to grandma.
• Always is a GENERAL time term so you use
  IMPERFECT!
• ROCK ON!

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UNA MÁS
A. Payton comió el pastel el día de su cumpleaños.
B. Payton comía el pastel el día de su cumpleaños.
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Trata otra vez

• On her birthday is a specific time
• What does that mean???
• Use the PRETERIT tense!

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Ay, ay, ay!

• Payton ate the cake on her birthday!
• POOF! Its done.
• The specific time is on her birthday!
• MUY BIEN!

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Holy Caca!

• Youre practically a genius!
• Now go back to the web page and complete your
  final assignment. (CEP 808)
• This assignment will confirm my suspicions that
  you are indeed a genius! ?
• Hasta luego,
• Señorita Rankens
• www.msu.edu/user/rankensr