Pretérito imperfecto en español

Summary

In this Spanish language lesson, Alberto Sales introduces the pretérito imperfecto (imperfect past tense), explaining its key uses such as describing habitual actions in the past, contrasting the past with the present, and detailing people, objects, places, and moments from the past. He breaks down the conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect tense for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, highlighting the accented i in -er and -ir verb forms. Additionally, he covers three important irregular verbs: ser, ir, and ver, showcasing their unique conjugations. The video concludes with an invitation to explore more grammar lessons on the channel.

Takeaways

• 😀 The imperfect past tense (pretérito imperfecto) in Spanish is used to describe habitual actions in the past, such as repeating actions or customs.
• 😀 Example: 'De niño jugaba fútbol todos los sábados' means 'As a child, I played soccer every Saturday,' referring to a recurring action.
• 😀 The imperfect tense is also used to contrast the past with the present, like in 'Antes vivía en Puebla, ahora vivo en México' (Before I lived in Puebla, now I live in Mexico).
• 😀 It helps describe people, objects, places, and moments from the past, for example: 'Juan era joven, su auto era rojo, su barrio estaba lejos' (Juan was young, his car was red, his neighborhood was far).
• 😀 The imperfect tense has minimal irregularities, with three main irregular verbs: 'ser,' 'ir,' and 'ver.'
• 😀 The conjugation of regular verbs in the imperfect tense follows three groups: '-ar,' '-er,' and '-ir' verbs, with specific endings for each group.
• 😀 For '-ar' verbs, the endings are: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban (e.g., 'hablar' becomes 'yo hablaba').
• 😀 For '-er' and '-ir' verbs, the endings are: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (e.g., 'tener' becomes 'yo tenía', 'vivir' becomes 'yo vivía').
• 😀 In '-er' and '-ir' verbs, the accent is placed on the 'i' in the conjugation (e.g., 'vivía', 'tenía').
• 😀 The three irregular verbs 'ser,' 'ir,' and 'ver' follow unique conjugation patterns, with 'ser' (yo era), 'ir' (yo iba), and 'ver' (yo veía) having different irregularities.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the pretérito imperfecto de indicativo tense?

The pretérito imperfecto de indicativo tense is used to describe habitual actions in the past, such as actions done repeatedly or as a custom, and to contrast the past with the present.

Can you give an example of how to use the pretérito imperfecto to describe habitual actions?

An example would be: 'De niño jugaba fútbol todos los sábados,' meaning 'As a child, I used to play soccer every Saturday.' This describes a repeated action in the past.

How does the pretérito imperfecto de indicativo help in contrasting the past with the present?

This tense is used to show the difference between past and present situations. For example, 'Antes vivía en Puebla, ahora vivo en México,' means 'I used to live in Puebla, but now I live in Mexico.' It contrasts past and present living situations.

What is another use of the pretérito imperfecto in Spanish?

It is used to describe people, objects, places, and moments in the past. For example, 'Juan era joven, su auto era rojo, su barrio estaba lejos,' meaning 'Juan was young, his car was red, his neighborhood was far.'

What are the three irregular verbs in the pretérito imperfecto de indicativo tense?

The three irregular verbs are 'ser' (to be), 'ir' (to go), and 'ver' (to see).

How is the verb 'ser' conjugated in the pretérito imperfecto?

The verb 'ser' is conjugated as follows: 'yo era, tú eras, él era, nosotros éramos, vosotros erais, ellos eran.'

How is the verb 'ir' conjugated in the pretérito imperfecto?

The verb 'ir' is conjugated as: 'yo iba, tú ibas, él iba, nosotros íbamos, vosotros ibais, ellos iban.'

How is the verb 'ver' conjugated in the pretérito imperfecto?

The verb 'ver' is conjugated as: 'yo veía, tú veías, él veía, nosotros veíamos, vosotros veíais, ellos veían.'

What is the common feature of the conjugation of the regular 'er' and 'ir' verbs in this tense?

The conjugation of 'er' and 'ir' verbs in the pretérito imperfecto is the same. For example, 'yo tenía' (I had) and 'yo vivía' (I lived) share the same conjugation pattern.

What is the significance of accents in the conjugation of 'er' and 'ir' verbs in the pretérito imperfecto?

In the conjugation of 'er' and 'ir' verbs, the accents are placed on the 'i' in the endings '-ía' for all persons except the first-person plural (nosotros), where the accent is not used (e.g., 'nosotros íbamos').