Holidays - Past Tense
Spanish: AQA GCSE (2025 Exam), topic 4.9.2
Uses of the Preterite Tense
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Mi hermana tenía veintiún años.
- My sister was 21 years old.
Time
- Eran las cinco de la tarde.
- It was five in the afternoon.
- Era el 12 de enero.
- It was the 12th of January.
Test yourself on Holidays - Past Tense
Which of the following sentences is correct?
How do you say 'there was a lot of wind that day' in Spanish?
How do you say 'they were eating' in Spanish?