4.9.2

Holidays - Past Tense

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Uses of the Preterite Tense

A finished action

A finished action

  • Fernando compró un coche nuevo.
    • Fernando bought a new car.
  • Nací en Inglaterra.
    • I was born in England.
Specific times and dates

Specific times and dates

  • España ganó la Copa del Mundo en 2010.
    • Spain won the world cup in 2010.
  • Henry nació el cinco de julio.
    • Henry was born on the 5th of July.
A finished period of time

A finished period of time

  • Vivieron en Australia por seis meses.
    • They lived in Australia for six months.
  • Leí este libro el año pasado.
    • I read this book last year.
Events in order

Events in order

  • Me vestí y salí a dar una vuelta.
    • I got dressed and went for a walk.
  • Entró, bebió una cerveza y comió un pedazo de pan.
    • He came in, drank a beer and ate a piece of bread.
Past events in a story

Past events in a story

  • Llegó a la playa y puso su toalla en la playa.
    • She arrived at the beach and put her towel on the beach.
Start and end of events

Start and end of events

  • Empezó a llover.
    • It began to rain.
  • La novela terminó con un final de suspenso.
    • The book ended with a cliff-hanger.

Uses of the Imperfect Tense

Non-specific time

Non-specific time

  • When the time period is not clear, and the action isn't finished you need to use the imperfect.
  • En aquella época Theo vivía en un apartamento pequeño.
    • In those days Theo was living in a small apartment.
Repeated actions

Repeated actions

  • Todos los días comía una naranja.
    • Every day I ate an orange.
  • Almorzábamos todos los sábados.
    • We used to eat lunch together every Saturday.
Description

Description

  • When describing people, objects and events in the past, you must use the imperfect.
  • La casa era grande.
    • The house was big.
  • Mi amiga era alta.
    • My friend was tall.
  • Aquel día hacía frío.
    • It was cold that day.
Ongoing actions

Ongoing actions

  • Comían cuando sonó el timbre.
    • They were eating when the doorbell rang.
  • Mi madre cocinaba cuando salí de la casa.
    • My mum was cooking when I left the house.
Age

Age

  • Mi hermana tenía veintiún años.
    • My sister was 21 years old.
Time

Time

  • Eran las cinco de la tarde.
    • It was five in the afternoon.
  • Era el 12 de enero.
    • It was the 12th of January.
Jump to other topics
1

The Basics

2

Current & Future Study & Employment

2.1

School & Subjects

2.2

School & Subjects - Translations (Foundation)

2.3

School & Subjects - Translations (Higher)

2.4

Education Post - 16

2.5

Education Post - 16 - Translations (Foundation)

2.6

Education Post - 16 - Translations (Higher)

3

Identity & Culture

3.1

Me, My Family & Friends

3.2

Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Foundation)

3.3

Me, Family & Friends - Translations (Higher)

3.4

Technology in Everyday Life

3.5

Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Foundation)

3.6

Tech in Everyday Life - Translations (Higher)

3.7

Free Time Activities

3.8

Free Time Activities - Translations (Foundation)

3.9

Free Time Activities - Translations (Higher)

3.10

Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries

3.11

Customs & Festivals - Translations (Foundation)

3.12

Customs & Festivals - Translations (Higher)

4

Areas of Interest

4.1

Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region

4.2

Home & Region - Translations (Foundation)

4.3

Home & Region - Translations (Higher)

4.4

Social Issues

4.5

Social Issues - Translations (Foundation)

4.6

Social Issues - Translations (Higher)

4.7

Global Issues

4.8

Global Issues - Translations

4.9

Travel & Tourism

4.10

Travel & Tourism - Translations

5

Listening Practice

5.1

Time Expressions - Listening

5.2

Me, My Family & Friends - Listening

5.3

Technology in Everyday Life - Listening

5.4

Free-Time - Listening

5.5

Customs & Festivals - Listening

5.6

Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Listening

5.7

Social Issues - Listening

5.8

Travel & Tourism - Listening

5.9

Education - Listening

5.10

Food & Drink - Listening

5.11

In the Home - Listening

5.12

Colours - Listening

5.13

Clothes & Accesories - Listening

5.14

Measurements - Listening

5.15

Materials - Listening

6

Common Tenses

7

Important Verbs

8

Advanced Tenses

9

Extra Grammar

9.1

Articles

9.2

Negatives

9.3

Nouns

9.4

Asking Questions

9.5

Adjectives

9.6

Adverbs

9.7

Conjunctions

9.8

Pronouns

9.9

By, With, From, Of

9.10

Verbs

9.11

Comparisons

Practice questions on Holidays - Past Tense

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