1. Put rather or better . Translate the sentences.
- We'd ____ stay inside until the rain stops.
- You'd ____ leave before it gets dark.
- I'd ____ you didn't wear jeans in the office.
- I'd ____ stay hungry than have to eat that fish.
- You'd ____ not phone her now. She's probably putting her baby to bed.
- You'd ____ stay in bed today. You look pale.
- I'd ____ send an e-mail than write a letter.
- You'd ____ watch the steps.
- Can I borrow your camera? – I’d ____ you didn’t.
- He'd ____ give up smoking as soon as possible.
2. Put had better or had better not. Translate.
- Bob is very angry with her. She____ do that again.
- You ____ touch my laptop again.
- We ____ study a bit harder.
- The restaurant is always crowded. We ____ book a table in advance.
- I have to be at the station in 15 minutes. I ____ leave right now.
- This is her first day at work. She____ be late.
- You____ drive carefully. You've already had some accidents this year.
- It's going to rain. We____ take an umbrella.
3. Complete the sentences according to the model:
eg: I'll go shopping if you really want me to, but ____ . - I'll go shopping if you really want me to, but I'd rather you went. (I'll go to the store if you feel like it, but I'd like you to go.)
- I'll spend the money if you really want me to, but I'd rather your dad ____ .
- I'll cook roast turkey if you really want me to, but I'd rather you ____ .
- I'll iron your shirt if you really want me to, but I'd rather Victor ____ .
- I'll take out the garbage if you really want me to, but I'd rather Mary ____ .
- I'll do the washing up if you really want me to, but I'd rather Tim ____ .
4. Use would rather or would rather not. Translate.
- Kevin, let's go to New York by train. – I ____ go by car.
- What did Mr. Jackson tell you – I ____ tell you.
- Would you like a cup of tea? – I ____ have hot chocolate.
- Do you feel like going out tonight? – No, I ____ stay at home.
- I don't feel quite well this morning. I ____ go to school today.
- I ____ die than apologize to you.
Answers:
- better (We'd better stay inside until the rain stops.)
- better (You'd better leave before it gets dark.)
- rather (I wish you didn't wear jeans to the office.)
- rather (I would rather stay hungry than eat that fish.)
- better (You'd better not call her now. She may be putting the baby to bed.)
- better (You'd better stay in bed tonight. You look pale.)
- rather (I would rather send an email than write a regular one.)
- better (Better take a closer look at the steps.)
- rather (Can I borrow your camera? - Better not.)
- better (He'd better quit smoking as soon as possible.)
- had better not (Bob is very angry with her. She better not do this again.)
- had better not (It's better if you don't touch my laptop anymore.)
- had better (It's better for us to do more.)
- had better (The restaurant is always full of people. We better book a table in advance.)
- had better
- had better not (This is her first day at work. She shouldn't be late.)
- had better (You'd better drive carefully. You already had a few accidents this year.)
- had better (It's going to rain. We'd better take an umbrella.)
- ... but I'd rather your dad spent it. (I will spend the money if you so desire, but I would like your father to spend it.)
- ...but I'd rather you cooked it. (I'll make roast turkey if you so desire, but I'd like you to cook it.)
- ... but I'd rather Victor ironed it. (I'll iron the shirt if you so desire, but I'd like Victor to iron it.)
- ... but I'd rather Mary took it out. (I'll take out the trash if you feel like it, but I'd like Mary to take it out.)
- ... but I'd rather Tim did it. (I'll wash the dishes if you so desire, but I'd like Tim to do the washing.)
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You'd better prepare for the exam instead of watching TV. You'd rather study for an exam instead of watching TV. Mike had better take an umbrella if he doesn't want to get soaked. Mike should take an umbrella if he doesn't want to get wet. You'd better not ride a motorcycle without a helmet. You better not ride a motorcycle without a helmet. He'd better not tell her what really happened. He shouldn't tell her what really happened.
2. Had better is used to express a recommendation or advice. In this sense, this expression is similar to the modal verb should. However, the meaning of had better is stronger and more specific than should, so often the advice with had better sounds strongly as a warning to avoid possible troubles.
You'd better watch your language. You should watch your speech. He'd better not travel alone. He better not travel alone. They'd better pay their debts. They should have paid their debts.
Would rather
Would you rather have tea or coffee? Would you prefer tea or coffee? I'd rather stay home and read a book. I would probably stay at home and read a book. We'd rather not go out this evening. We should probably stay at home tonight. Alice would rather not visit her mother-in-law. Alice would rather not visit her mother-in-law.
They'd rather drive than travel by train. They would rather travel by car than by train. I'd rather have gone shopping with you than with Mary. I'd rather go shopping with you than with Mary. We'd rather type than write a letter. I'd rather type than write a letter by hand. I'd rather had bought a gold ring. I'd rather buy a gold ring.
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3. Our preference may also extend to other people, in which case the sentence structure will be different from the previous one: |
IN Spanish There are several types of future, present and past tenses. In this lesson, you will learn all about the indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and conditional moods. In the article you will find brief information about each tense: how it is built, marker words for a given tense and when it is used, as well as several examples under each tense.
Historical tenses: , Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto, Pretérito Anterior, Imperfecto de Subjuntivo, Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo, .
A verb in Spanish can be used in four moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive and conditional. In general, mood is a special category of the verb that expresses its modality, namely, the relation of the content of the statement to what is happening, or the attitude of the speaker to the interlocutor (in the case of the imperative mood).
Let's start with the indicative mood. Indicative is the most common in Spanish. It means real action that happened in the past, is happening now or will happen, and does not involve any conditions. The indicative mood includes 8 tenses relating to the present, future and past tenses.
Presente de indicativo (simple present tense)
It is used to denote a simple action taking place at the moment, as well as a repeated action in the present. Often used with indicators of time such as ahora (now), en este momento (at the moment), siempre (always), etc.:
Escribo a menudo a mis parientes. I often write to my relatives.
Siempre desayuna a las siete. He always has breakfast at seven.
Also, the simple present tense is used to indicate a planned action in the future, while the sentence will always have a pointer to the future tense:
Llegamos pasado mañana. - We are arriving the day after tomorrow.
Futuro simple/imperfecto (simple/imperfect future tense)
Denotes a simple action taking place in the future tense, as well as a repeated action in the future. Words such as mañana (tomorrow), pasado mañana (the day after tomorrow), dentro de ... días (in ... days), la semana que viene (next week), el año que viene (next year) can serve as indicators of the use of this tense. and so on.:
Iremos a Italia a fines de octubre. We will go to Italy at the end of October.
Often used in sentences with a touch of modality to indicate probability or order:
Jorge tendra unos treinta anos. - Jorge, probably thirty years old.
¡Hija, lavarás la vajilla! - Daughter, wash the dishes!
Futuro perfecto (future perfect tense)
U is used to indicate an action that will end before some point in the future or before some other action begins. Words indicating this time: hasta (before), para (la próxima semana) (to (next week), etc.:
habre hablado español para el Año Nuevo. By the New Year I will speak Spanish.
La pelicula habrá terminado, cuando venga. - Movie will end by the time he arrives.
Very often used in a modal sense to refer to probable, possible, supposed past actions:
Nos habremos visto en alguna parte. - We may have met somewhere.
El tren habrá llegado a la estación. - The train has probably (already) arrived at the station.
Pretérito perfecto de indicativo (present perfect tense)
Expresses an action that happened in the past but is relevant to the present. Indicators of this time can be: esta semana (this week), este mes (this month), hoy (today), nunca (never), todavía (still), últimamente (recently), ya (already), etc. .P.:
Hoy José ha ido a la escuela sin comer. - Today José went to school without eating.
Recientemente Enrique ha regresado de Barcelona. - Recently Enrique returned from Barcelona.
Preterito indefinido (past simple)
It is used to indicate a simple action completed in the past, a long action with an indication of a time period, when listing several actions in the past. The indicators are: ayer (yesterday), anteayer (the day before yesterday), aquel día (that day), el mes pasado (last month), dos años atrás (two years ago), etc.:
Cristóbal Colón descubrió América en 1492. - Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Pretérito imperfecto de indicativo (past unfinished tense)
Denotes a long but incomplete action, an action that is repeated in the past, as well as an action that occurred or occurred against the background of another action in the past. The following expressions will serve as indicators of such a time: a menudo, frecuentemente (often), a veces (sometimes), todos los días (every day), por las madrugadas (las tardes) (in the mornings, (evenings)), cada vez que ( every time), siempre (always), de ordinario, de costumbre (usually), de vez en cuando (from time to time), cada año (día, mes) (every year (day, month)):
A las nueve veia la TV. - I was watching TV at 9 o'clock.
Por las madrugadas sus hijos salían de casa e iban a la escuela. In the mornings, his children left the house and went to school.
Mientras mi hermano hacia los deberes, yo escuchaba la música. While my brother was doing his homework, I was listening to music.
Preterito pluscuamperfecto de indicativo (long past tense)
Indicates an action that ended before another action started in the past. In separate sentences, this time is very rare, most often it is used when coordinating tenses and in subordinate clauses.
Cuando entramo s en la sala de espectáculos, la actuación había empezado. When we entered the auditorium, the performance had already begun.
Pretérito anterior de indicativo (past prior tense)
Expresses an action that ended just before the start of another action in the past. Most often used in subordinate clauses and when coordinating tenses. The sentence is accompanied by the following expressions: apenas (barely, as soon as), así que (so), cuando (when), después que (after), en cuanto (as soon as), en seguida que (immediately, on that same moment), luego que (as soon as), no bien (barely, as soon as), tan pronto como (as soon as), etc.:
Apenas me hube acostado, sonó el telefono. As soon as I got into bed, the phone rang.
Futuro imperfecto de Subjuntivo (Incomplete future tense)
Futuro imperfecto de subjuntivo is used when you need to describe an unfinished situation that refers to a moment in the future tense. In oral speech, the Spaniards do not use this time, but will replace it with Presente de Subjuntivo. You can find the Future Incomplete tense in fiction, newspapers, and documents.
The construction of Presente de Subjuntivo tense: endings in the first conjugation are added to the stem of verbs: -are-ares-are-aremos-areis-aren; in the second and third conjugation: -iere-ieres-iere-ieremos-iereis-ieren. For example: escribir (to write) - escribiere, escribieres, escribiere, escribiéremos, escribiereis, escribieren.
- Quise que comieres. - I wanted you to eat.
- Las personas que no acceptaren estas reglas serán sancionadas. “People who disregard these rules will be punished.
- Sea como fuere. - Whatever it is.
Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo (completed tense in the future)
Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo tense describes a moment in the future that must end before another moment in the future. This time is not used either in colloquial speech, or in journalistic or artistic speech. The Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo time must be excellently owned by lawyers, jurists, judges, that is, people who are closely connected with documentation and laws.
Construction Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo: the auxiliary verb haber in the Futuro Imperfecto de Subjuntivo and the participle of the verb.
The conjugation of the verb haber in the Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo: hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubieremos, hubiereis, hubieren.
- Si ningún candidato hubiere obtenido la confianza del Congreso, el Rey disolverá ambas Cámaras. “If no candidate earns the confidence of Congress, the king will disband both houses. (Constitution 1978)
- Si alguien no cumpliere con su deber de ciudadano, será castigado con arreglo al daño que hubiere producido. - If a person does not fulfill his civic duty, he will be punished according to the damage caused.
Imperative mood
Conveys an impulse to action. It comes in two forms: Imperativo afirmativo and Imperativo negativo.
Imperativo afirmativo (affirmative imperative) is used to express a command to do something:
¡Hablen ustedes español, por favor! - Please speak Spanish!
Imperativo negativo (the negative form of the imperative) expresses an order not to do something:
No trabajes los domingos. - Don't work on Sundays.
Subjunctive mood
The subjunctive has a special position in Spanish. Many beginners often face difficulties in the process of learning it. It is used in subordinate clauses if the verb of the main clause expresses a request, an order, a wish, a prohibition, emotions and feelings, an opinion and a judgment, doubt and denial.
The subjunctive mood is used in four tense forms:
Presente de subjuntivo (present subjunctive)
Indicates an action performed simultaneously or immediately after the action in the main clause (the verb of the main clause is in one of the tenses of the actual type):
Quiero que me dejen en paz. - I want to be left alone.
Preterito imperfecto de sunjuntivo (past imperfect subjunctive)
Means an action performed in the past at the same time or after the action in the main clause (the verb of the main clause is in one of the tenses of the historical type). In this case, the main clause is always in the past tense.
Mi abuela quiso que yo hablara español. My grandmother wanted me to speak Spanish.
Yo tenia miedo que el salón de belleza estuviera cerrada. I was afraid that the barbershop was closed.
Me gustaría que hiciera buen tiempo en primavera. I would like the weather to be nice in spring.
Te ordeno que te pusieras el abrigo marrón. “I ordered you to wear a brown cloak.
La desperte a las seis para que ella no perdiera el tren. I woke her up at six o'clock in the morning so that she would not miss the train.
Preterito perfecto de subjuntivo (past perfect subjunctive)
It assumes that the action (in the past or in the future) precedes the action of the predicate in the main clause, which is in one of the tenses of the actual type. That is, the verb of the main clause should be in the past tense and indicate that the action has already happened. In Construction Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo: Auxiliary verb haber in Presente de Subjuntivo with a semantic verb.
Es bueno que hayamos reservado los billetes. It's good that we booked tickets.
Me alegra que hayas tenido buenas notas en el examen. I am very glad that you got good grades in the exam.
Es possible que el haya venido. - He may have come I arrived).
No creo que hayan preparado el reglo para la fiesta. I don't think they prepared a present for the holiday.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo (long past subjunctive)
Indicates an action preceding the action in the main clause, the predicate in which is in one of the tenses of the historical type:
Ella no creia que hubieses dicho esto. She didn't believe you said that.
Conditional mood
Meaning that an action is possible only under certain conditions, it has 2 tenses: Potencial simple and Potencial perfecto.
Potencial simple (conditional imperfect mood)
Expresses an unrealistic but possible action: an imperfect action, desired or expected in the present or future, an action possible in the past, a polite request and a future action in the past tense:
Comeria un pedazo de tarta. - I would eat a piece of cake.
¿Podría decirme donde está la biblioteca? - Can you tell me where is the library?
Potencial perfecto (compuesto) (conditional perfect mood)
Indicates an unrealistic and impossible action: an action desired or possible in the past, a supposed action that happened before another action in the past:
Habría ido al cine ayer pero no tuve dinero. - I would have gone to the cinema yesterday, but I had no money.
Fernando no paso el examen. Habria estudiado poco. Fernando didn't pass the exam. Perhaps he did little.
It's time to start learning a new tense in Spanish - the future tense. From the various tenses of the Spanish language, so far we know the Present Simple - Presente and Present Continuous - Presente Continuo.
Let's slowly start talking in the future!
Spanish has two future tenses: Futuro Próximo (Near Future) and Futuro Simple (Simple Future). Now we will not explain all the differences between these two tenses, but only say that they are very similar in use to each other, although the forms of the verbs are different.
In this lesson we will go through the topic “Futuro Próximo” – Near Future.
Let's start our topic with illustrative examples:
1. Mañana voy a estudiar inglés en el colegio– Tomorrow I will study English at school.
2. Esta semana vamos a jugar al fútbol- This week we will play football
3. El mes que viene Antonio y Carla van a viajar a Francia Antonio and Carla will go to France next month.
4.Este ano escolar va a ser muy duro This school year will be very difficult.
5. ¿Me vas a devolver el paraguas? Will you give me back my umbrella?
6. ¿Cómo vais a trabajar si sois tan vagos?- How will you work if you are so lazy?
7.Esta noche no voy a ver la tele, porque tengo que levantarme muy temprano por la mañana I will not watch TV tonight because I have to get up very early tomorrow.
As you can see from the examples, the formation of Futuro Próximo is very simple. You just need to remember the design
IR + a + Infinitivo
Let's decipher: the verb “ir” (which means “to go, go”) + the preposition “a” + the indefinite form of the verb (infinitive)
In this construction, only the verb ir is changed! We do not change the preposition “a” and the infinitive.
Remember the conjugation of the verb ir?
Let's conjugate 3 verbs in Futuro Próximo:
yo voy a trabajar - I will work
tú vas a trabajar - you will work
el/ ella/ Vd. va a trabajar - it will work
nosotros vamos a trabajar - we will work
vosotros vais a trabajar - you will work
ellos / ellas / Vds. van a trabajar- they will work
voy a comer - I will have lunch
vas a comer - you will have lunch
va a comer - he will have lunch
vamos a comer - we will have lunch
vais a comer - you will have lunch
van a comer - they will have lunch
voy a escribir - I will write
vas a escribir - you will write
va a escribir - he will write
vamos a escribir - we will write
vais a escribir - you will write
van a escribir - they will write
It can be seen from the examples that all constructions are the same, no matter what the verb ends with - ar, -er or -ir.
So, if you want to say that something will happen in the future, use ir + a + infinitive.
Look at the examples below:
1) Tomorrow I will go shopping - Mañana voy a hacer la compra
2) The day after tomorrow we will go to grandparents - Pasado mañana vamos a visitar a nuestros abuelos
3) They say they won't sell the house - Dicen que no van a vender la casa
4) Pablo will come soon - Pablo va a venir pronto
5) When will you prepare for the exam? - ¿Cuando vas a prepararte para el examen?
6) I will not study for the exam because I am smart - No voy a prepararme para el examen, porque soy inteligente
7) Today I will go to bed very late - Hoy me voy acostar muy tarde(remember that you can change the word order? = Hoy voy acostarme muy tarde)
8) ¿Vas a casarte con Daniela o no?= ¿Te vas a casar con Daniela o no? Are you going to marry Daniela or not?
9) Estoy muy cansado, voy a descansar un poco- I'm very tired, I'll rest a little
10) Creo que no vamos a ir a España, tengo miedo a los aviones– I think that we won’t go to Spain, I’m afraid to fly on airplanes
Pay attention, the Spaniards say: voy a ir, vas a ir, va a ir, etc. The verb “ir" is used as often as any other infinitive in this construction:
voy a ir a la playa - I'll go to the beach
¿vas a ir a la Universidad? - Are you going to university?
Temporary indications for the future tense
There are words that are very often used when we speak in the future tense. We have already used some of these words in our examples (see above).
Now let's just list them and try to remember:
1) Mañana - tomorrow
Mañana voy a cenar en el restaurante- Tomorrow I will have dinner at a restaurant.
2) Pasado mañana - the day after tomorrow
Pasado mañana van a llegar mis primos My cousins will arrive the day after tomorrow.
3)La semana / el mes / el ano …que viene– Next week / next month / year
La semana que viene nos va a visitar mi tío- My uncle will visit us next week.
El ano que viene van a crecer los sueldos- Wages will increase next year
4)La semana próxima, el mes próximo, el año próximo– Next week / next month / year (These constructions are similar to the previous ones and are translated in the same way. In the same construction, the word “próximo” can be placed both before and after the noun)
El mes proximo vamos a vivir mejor– Next month we will live better
La proxima semana Julio va a ir al campo Julio will go to the village next week
5) Combinations with the demonstrative pronoun este / esta:
esta noche - this night, in the evening
este mes - this month
este viernes - this friday
este fin de semana - this weekend
este año - this year
este otoño - this autumn
etc.
Este sábado me voy a quedar en casa This Saturday I will stay at home.
6) Dentro de ... - Through ...
Dentro de una hora va a llegar mi jefe My boss will be here in an hour.
Dentro de un ano me voy a graduar de la Universidad- In a year I will graduate from the university
En … = Dentro de …
Voy a irme en cinco minutos - I'll be leaving in five minutes
Ana va a terminar el proyecto en tres dias Anna will finish the project in three days
7) Pronto - coming soon
Pronto vamos a ir a una fiesta We will go to a party soon
Spanish is a beautiful and emotional language. Perhaps the best way to learn this romantic language is through poetry. In this article, we will look at the main tenses of the Spanish language in the context of poetry and see how sentences are built using examples from poems and poems. We hope this will help you understand the logic behind building Spanish tenses. So let's get started!
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In Spanish, there are 3 moods of the verb: indicative , subjunctivo And imperative . Mood is a grammatical category that allows you to distinguish tenses of verbs. All verb forms, with the exception of the infinitive, participle, and gerund, are always in one of these moods. In this article, we will consider only the first inclination.
Indicative mood – Indicativo
The indicative mood is the most commonly used. Used to compare facts and objective statements. In Spanish, the indicative mood is used in the present, past, future tenses and in conditional sentences.Estabamos, estamos, estaremos juntos. A pedazos, a ratos, a párpados, a sueños.
- Mario Benedetti.
In this quote, we can observe the conjugation of the verb estar(to be) in the past ( estabamos), present ( estamos) and future ( estaremos).
Presente
In Spanish, there are 3 categories of the verb. They can be identified by the last two letters of the infinitive ( -ar, -er, -ir), which is the basic form of the verb. At regular verbs The base remains the same, only the ending changes. Irregular verbs conjugate differently.
To conjugate a regular verb ending in -ar, just drop the ending -ar and add the following:
-o ( hablo)
-as ( hablas)
-a ( habla)
-amos ( hablamos)
-ais ( hablais)
-an ( hablan)
To conjugate regular verb ending in –er or –ir, just drop the ending and add one of the following:
-o ( bebo)
-es ( bebes)
-e ( baby)
-emos (-er) / -imos (-ir) ( bebemos)
-éis (-er) / -ís (-ir) ( bebeis)
-en ( beben)
The following lines are from the poem (20 love poems and one song of despair), one of the most famous works of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Here is an excerpt from poem 14 where we can see the conjugation of the regular verb llegar(to arrive) and an irregular verb jugar(play).
Juegas todos los dias con la luz del universo. Every day you play with the light of the whole universe.
Sutil visitadora, llegas en la flor y en el agua. A timid guest in the guise of either water or a flower.
Irregular Verbs Spanish are also the most frequently used, so we often meet with conjugations of these particular verbs. One of these irregular verbs is ser(to be) is conjugated as:
soy,
heres,
es,
somos,
sois,
son.
Here are more examples:
Eres más que esta blanca cabecita que aprieto, You are more than just a silk head
como un racimo entre mis manos cada dia. which, like a bunch, caresses my hand.
In the present tense, some verbs change vowels inside the root. Such changes occur for all persons, with the exception of nosotros and vosotros, for which the root (stem) of the regular verb is preserved. There are several variations of changes within the root, but the most common is the change from i on ie. For example, the verb querer(want) follows this rule:
Quiero hacer contigo. I want to do something with you
lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos. what spring does with cherries.
Preterito Perfecto
The Preterito Perfecto describes an action that started in the past and continues or repeats in the present. It can also describe an action that happened in the recent past. El Poeta a su Amada(Poet to his Beloved) is a poem written by César Vallejo, perfect for learning the Preterito Perfecto. In Spanish, Preterito Perfecto is formed with an auxiliary verb haber(have) in the indicative mood and past participles (with endings - ado, -ido) of the desired verb. The auxiliary verb haber and the past participle always go together.
Amada, en esta noche tu te has crucificado sobre los dos maderos curvados de mi beso.
For education negative sentence, add particle no before the verb haber(auxiliary). We can see this in the following passage from the poem. Vallejo, Para el Alma Impossible de mi Amada:
Amada: no has querido plasmarte jamás como lo ha pensado mi divino amor.
The past participle is formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive and replacing it with -ado or - ido. Some past participles are irregular, for example: abierto, compuesto, deshecho, resuelto, visto,escrito.
has construido tu casa you built your house
has emplumado tus pajaros you set your birds free
has golpeado al viento you harnessed the wind
con tus propios huesos with my own hands
The lines above are an excerpt from Arbol de Diana(Tree of Diana), the fourth book of poetry by the Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik. As we see in this example, if we drop the verb endings construir, emplumar And goldpear (constru-, emplum-, golpe-), we get the past participles of these regular verbs. Fortunately, the past participles of regular verbs are formed in a similar way.
Preterito and Imperfecto
Se entro de tarde en el rio, She entered the river at dusk,
la sacó muerta el doctor; she was dead when the doctor pulled her out;
dicen que murió de frio, some say she died of a cold,
yo se que murio de amor. but I know she died of love.
This poem was written by Jose Martí. Marti's most famous poem is La Niña de Guatemala (Girl from Guatemala). This wonderful Spanish poem is a good illustration of the time Preterito. Preterito is used to describe an action that ended at a certain point in the past, or continued for a certain amount of time in the past, but ended now.
On the other side, Imperfecto used for actions that happened in the past but have not yet completed. And also to refer to actions in the past, which are a kind of background for other events in the past, and to describe repeated actions in the past. There are only two types of endings for regular verbs in imperfecto: one for verbs -ar (aba, abas, aba, abamos, abais, aban) and one for verbs with endings -er And -ir(ia, ias,ia, iamos, iais, ia, ias). Just remove the ending from the main form of the verb (infinitive) and add the ending you need to form the verb into imperfecto.
Entus ojos peleaban las llamas del crepusculo Twilight lightning fought in your eyes.
Y las hojas caian en el agua de tu alma And the backwaters of your soul were covered with leaves.
This is another excerpt from the poem. Veinte Poemas de Amor and una Canción Desesperada pen Pablo Neruda. In Poema 6, we are talking about the memory of one autumn day and the woman that the writer loved.
Fortunately, only three verbs are irregular in imperfecto: ser (be): era, eras, era, eramos, erais, eran; ir (go): iba, ibas,iba, ibamos, ibais, iban; And ver (see): veia, veias, veia, veiamos, veiais, veian.
Futuro Proximo and Futuro Simple
Futuro Proximo is used to express the near future and translates as: “I am going to (do something).” Formed with a verb ir, conjugated in the present tense, indicative mood, preposition a, and the verb in the infinitive. Remember that the verb ir is incorrect and is conjugated in the present tense as follows: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.
Y mientras anochece de pronto la mañana, And as soon as the morning turns to night,
yo se que, aunque no quieras, vas a pensar en mi. I know, even though this, you will think of me.
In this passage from the poem Cancion de la Lluvia(Rain Song) by José Ángel Buesa, we see the action of Futuro Próximo. It is formed with the verb ir in present time ( vas, second person) + a+ verb infinitive ( pensar).
Futuro Simple, on the contrary, is used to express the possibility of performing an action. Unlike Futuro Próximo, only one word is needed to form this tense, created by adding endings to the infinitive of the verb. All verbs conjugate with the formation of the same endings: é ,as, á , emos, eis, an. For example:
Y tendrá un sobresalto tu corazón tranquilo, And it will strike your calm heart,
sintiendo que despierta tu ternura de ayer. feeling that which awakened your tenderness from yesterday.
In the following example, future tense endings are underlined. Poema del Renunciamiento(The Poem of the Renunciation) was written by José Ángel Buesa, a Cuban poet known for his melancholy poetry.
Pasar as por mi vida sin saber que pasaste. Pasar as en silencio por mi amor, y, al pasar, fingir é
una sonrisa, como un dulce contraste del dolor de quererte... y jamás lo sabr as.
Here are the most common Irregular Verbs in the future tense. The endings are formed like regular verbs, but the root changes:
caber(correspond): cabr-
poner(put): ponder-
decir(speak): dir-
haber(have): habr-
salir(leave): saldr
hacer(do / do): har-
poder(can): podr-
Tener(have): tendr-
querer(want / love): querr-
valer(cost): valdr-
saber(know): sabr-
Venir(come): vendor-
Next poem Todavia(Still) owned by Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan poet. In the passage the roots are underlined:
y si beso la osadía y el misterio de tus labios no hub ra dudas ni resabios te querr e mas todavia.
You can explore the world of the Spanish language by opening the doors to a world filled with captivating poetry. In the following article, we will consider the 2 remaining moods (subjunctive and imperative).
