2.3 The Description of Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense
2.3.1 Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense in English
In English Tenses, Past Tenses consist of some kinds, they are:
Simple Past Tense
Past Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Future Tense
Past Future Continuous Tense
Past Future Perfect Tense, and
Past Future Continuous Tense. But in this thesis I just focus to the tenses to : Simple Past Tense and Past
Continuous Tense.
a Simple Past Tense
Simple Past Tense is used to report a state or activity which can be described to a definite past time. It is used to express the action that occurred in
the past time no matter how much time has elapsed since then or how many times it occurred. It seems that the Simple Past Tense expresses the event went on the
time referred, but it is over now. Another point about the Simple Past Tense is that it is used when no
definite moment in time is indicated. Since it is referring to a definite moment in
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time separated from now. It does not matter how long a go the action took place. The event started and has finished in the past or at the moment of speaking.
Example : He went to Bali last week.
You slept well last night. They got married in 1998.
She drank tea this morning.
b Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense is a construction made up of the Past Tense of the auxiliary be + the–ing Present Participle form of the verb. It is used to
emphasize the Progressive nature of an action that was happening over a period of time in the past. Example:
I was reading a newspaper all evening.
She was swimming for an hour.
We were studying when you knocked at the door.
Some pupils were making a lot of noise when the teacher came into the
classroom. The Past Continuous Tense may be used in the following ways:
a. To indicate that an action was in progress at a definite time in the past Example: What was he doing at 8 pm last night?
He was watching the television. b. To indicate the progressive nature of an action that was happening at the same
time as another event in the past Example: The mouse was eating a piece of cheese when the cat caught it.
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My mother was cooking the dinner when I came home. c. To indicate that two continuous activities were going on at the same time
Example: She was reading the newspaper while I was watching the television.
d. To indicate that an activity was going on between two points of time in the past Example: She was writing his first novel between December 1998 and
February 1999. In the last two categories, notice that the conjunction WHEN is used to indicate a
point in time, whereas WHILE is used to indicate a duration of time.
A. The Form of Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense 1. Form of Simple Past Tense
The Simple Past Tense formed by using verbs that consist of two ways, they are regular verbs and irregular verbs.
a. Regular Verbs In forming the Simple Past Tense in regular verbs, we just add the –ed or
–d after the infinitive. Examples: live
→ lived climb
→ climbed ask
→ asked finish
→ finished walk
→ walked play
→ played
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He lived in France last year.
They climbed the mountain a week ago.
He asked me to open the window a moment ago.
Mary finished her homework an hour ago.
She walked to school yesterday because the car was broken.
The boys played football last Saturday.
b. Irregular Verbs Some verbs are irregular. In this case we do not need to put –d or –ed after
the infinitive, otherwise it will be changing the form and the sound. Examples: wear
→ wore
drink → drank
eat → ate
write → wrote
tell → told
give → gave
It was Mary’s birthday yesterday and she wore her new dress.
I was very thirsty this morning and I drank three glasses of water.
The children were hungry and ate all the cakes.
She wrote a letter to her mother last week.
His mother told him a story before sleep last night.
He gave me the book two days ago.
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There are also some verbs which do not change in the Simple Past Tense
formation. Examples: read
→ read put
→ put
bid → bid
hurt → hurt
hit → hit
She read the novel all day yesterday.
He put the paper on the table this morning.
My mother bid the price so hard on the market last week.
Your rude words hurt her so much.
Her brother hit him accidentally a few days ago.
Simple past tense has three form, Positive Form, Negative Form, and Interrogative Form.
Positive Form
The pattern: S + VERB PAST TENSE + OBJECT COMPLIMENT
Examples:
I saw David yesterday.
The cat ran a mouse a few days ago.
The baby cried all night because he is hungry.
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I washed the dishes ten minutes ago.
The students asked a lot of question to the teacher last
week.
We opened the window because it was hot an hour ago.
She wrote a letter to his brother in London.
My friend and I went to the cinema last Saturday.
Negative Form
The Pattern: S + DID + NOT + VERB INFINITIVE + OBJECT COMPLIMENT
Examples:
I did not see David yesterday.
The cat did not run a mouse a few days ago.
The baby did not cry all night.
I did not wash the dishes ten minutes ago.
The students did not ask a lot of question to the teacher last week
We did not open the window because it was cold.
She did not write a letter to his brother in London.
My friend and I did not go to the cinema last Saturday.
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Interrogative Sentence
The Pattern: DID + S + VERB INFINITIVE + OBJECT COMPLIMENT
OR WH…QUESTION WORD+DID + S+ VERBINF+ OBEJCT COMPLIMENT
Examples:
Did you see David yesterday?
Did the cat run a mouse a few days ago?
Why did the baby cry all night?
When did I wash the dishes?
Did the students ask a lot of question to the teacher last week?
Why did we open the window an hour ago?
Did she write a letter to his brother in London?
Did my friend and I go to the cinema last Saturday?
2. Form of Past Continuous Tense
While past continuous tense formed by using to be in past tense, that are was and were plus the verb –ing present participle.
Examples: clean → cleaning
listen →
listening sleep
→ sleeping rain
→ raining speak
→ speaking
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He was cleaning the table at that time.
We were listening to the radio when he came.
I was sleeping when you called me.
It was raining when I went out this morning.
She was speaking to the teacher when he entered the room.
Same as Simple past tense, pas continuous tense also has three form, Positive Form, Negative Form, and Interrogative Form.
Positive Form
The pattern: S + WASWERE + VERB - ing + O Compliment
Examples:
I was having breakfast at six this morning.
She was waiting when I arrived.
I was sleeping all day yesterday.
He was cleaning at the time.
We were studying when you knocked at the door.
My mother was cooking as I got home
Negative Form
The pattern: S + WASWERE + NOT + VERB –ing + O Compliment Examples:
I was not having breakfast at six this morning.
She was not waiting when I arrived.
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I was not sleeping all day yesterday.
He was not cleaning at the time.
We were studying when you knocked at the door.
My mother was not cooking as I got home
Interrogative Form
The pattern: WASWERE + S + VERB –ing + O Compliment? Examples:
Were you having breakfast at six this morning?
Was she waiting when I arrived?
Was you sleeping all day yesterday?
Was he cleaning at the time?
Were we studying when you knocked at the door?
Was my mother cooking as I got home?
B. The Function of Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense
a. Simple Past Tense functions: 1
To show an action that took place in the past. The time of the action is generally given, when time is not given it is implied or understood.
2 When narrating a series of events.
3 The past tense is also used for activities that occurred over a period of
time in the past, but are now finished on that occurred at intervals in the past, but do not occur now.
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b. Past Continuous Tense functions: 1
To indicate that an action was in progress at a definite time in the past. 2
To indicate the progressive nature of an action that was happening at the same time as another event in the past.
3 To indicate that two continuous activities were going on at the same
time. 4
To indicate that an activity was going on between two points of time in the past.
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2.3.2 Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense in Spanish
Preterito and Imperfecto
There are some types of Past Tenses in Spanish, they are :
Imperfecto
Pretérito
Condicional
Presente perfecto
Futuro perfecto
Pluscuamperfecto
Pretérito anterior
Condicional perfecto
According to Laura K. Lawless in her official website, Online language learning with Laura K. Lawless, and also according to Ganefiati Rachmaning in
her book “Español Para Ti 2” page 95, one of the most striking differences between Spanish and English is in verb tenses. For English speakers, learning how
to use the various past tenses in Spanish can be very tricky and vice versa,
because English has several tenses which either do not exist or do not translate literally into Spanish.
Anyone who has studied Spanish is aware of the troublesome relationship
between the pretérito and imperfecto. The imperfecto yo hablaba translates to
the English imperfect I was talking while the pretérito yo hablé literally translates to the English simple past I talked but can also be translated as the
English present perfect I have talked or the emphatic past I did talk.
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It is extremely important to understand the distinctions between pretérito and imperfecto in order to use them correctly and thus express past events
accurately. But before we discuss about the preterito and imperfecto, we should know that in forming a sentence in Spanish is about the conjugation of the verb. It
is very important to know the verb is Spanish because all Spanish verbs have to be conjugated – they have different forms depending on what the subject is. The verb
in Spanish consists of 5 categories:
1. –AR verbs
2. –ER
verbs Regular
Verbs 3.
–IR verbs 4.
Stem-changing verbs 5.
Irregular verbs
-AR verbs, -ER verbs, and –IR verbs are regular verbs. Regular verbs that end in these letters are all conjugated the same way in all of the tenses. Stem-
changing verbs or verbs with spelling changes take the same endings as regular verbs, but their root changes depending on the subject. And the final category is
irregular verbs. These are verbs whose conjugations are unique to them, so you must memorize their conjugations separately.
1. –AR verbs present tense
The verbs that ends in –AR is called the infinitive. –AR is the inifinitive ending. The English infinitive has the word “to” in front of the verb. The verb
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without the –AR is called the stem or radical. To conjugate an -AR verb, remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings, as follows:
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ o nosotros
+ amos 2
nd
person tú
+ as vosotros
+ áis 3
rd
person élélla
+ a ellos
+ an
Thus to conjugate hablar, we should remove the infinitive ending to find the radical habl- and then add the appropriate endings:
Hablar Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
hablo nosotros
hablamos 2
nd
person tú
hablas vosotros
habláis 3
rd
person élélla
habla ellos
hablan
Some of –AR verbs:
andar : to walk limpiar : to wash, to clean
bailar : to dance llamar : to call
besar : to kiss matar : to kill
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calentar: to warm up mirar : to watch
callar : shut up nadir : to swim
cantar : to sing olvidar : to forget
dar : to give
pagar : to pay
dibujar : to draw pensar : to think
entrar : to enter pintar : to paint
escuchar: to
listen practicar:
to practice
estudiar: to
study preguntar: to ask a question
explicar: to explain regresar: to return
firmar : to sign saltar : to jump
fumar : to smoke
tocar : to touch, to play music
ganar : to win tomar : to take, to drink
hablar : to speak
tartar : to deal with
jugar : to play viajar : to travel
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2. –ER verbs present tense
To conjugate an –ER verb, remove the infinitive ending and then add the
appropriate endings, as follows:
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ o nosotros
+emos 2
nd
person tú
+ es vosotros
+é 3
rd
person élélla
+ e ellos
+en
Thus to conjugate aprender, we should remove the infinitive ending to find the radical aprend- and then add the appropriate endings:
Aprender Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
aprendo nosotros
aprendemos 2
nd
person tú
aprendes vosotros
aprendéis 3
rd
person élélla
aprende ellos
aprenden
Some of the –ER verbs:
absolver : to absolve, to acquilt corer : to run, to race
absorber : to compose, to fix, repair defender: to defend
aparecer : to show up, to appear dissolver: to disolve
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aprender : to dispose entender : to understand
atender : to attend, to heed esconder : to hide
beber : to drink haber : to have
barrer : to sweep imponer : to impose
comer : to eat leer
: to read
mantener: to
maintain saber : to know, to know how
morder : to bite suponer: to suppose
nacer : to be born sorprender: to surprise
obedecer: to obey temer :to fear, to be afraid of
oler : to smell
tender : to extend, to spread out
parecer : to seem, to appear traer
: to bring
perder : to see vender : to sell, to vend
poner : to return, to go back ver
: to see
querer : to want, to love volver : to return, to go back
romper : to break, to tear yacer : to lie down, to be situated
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3. –IR verbs present tense To conjugate an –IR verb, remove the infinitive ending and then add the
appropriate endings, as follows:
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ o nosotros
+imos 2
nd
person tú
+ es vosotros
+ís 3
rd
person élélla
+ e ellos
+en
Thus to conjugate aprender, we should remove the infinitive ending to find the radical aprend- and then add the appropriate endings:
partir Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
parto nosotros
partimos 2
nd
person tú
partes vosotros
partís 3
rd
person élélla
parte ellos
parten
Some of –IR verbs:
abrir :
to open
mentir : to lie, to tell an untruth
admitir: to admit, permit morir : to die
advertir: to advertise, to warn ocurrir : to occur
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competir: to compete partir : to divide, to depart
concluir : to conclude percibir: to perceive
consentir : to consent persuader: to persuade
converter : to convert, to change recibir : to receive
corregir : to correct reducer : to reduce
decider : to decide salir : to exit, to leave, to go out
definir : to define seguir : to follow, to continue
destruir : to destroy
servir : to serve
extinguir : to extinguish traducir : to translate
fluir : to flow
unir : to unite
huir : to flee, to run away
venir : to come
influir : to influence, to act on
vestir : to dress, to get dressed
insistir : to insist
vivir : to live, to be alive
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4. Stem-Changing Verbs Spanish has two kinds of verbs that undergo spelling changes during
conjugation. Spelling change verbs undergo consonant changes in certain conjugations, while stem-changing verbs are characterized by changes in vowels.
Stem-changing verbs are those that have a vowel spelling change in the stem of all form except nosotros and vosotros. Spanish has three different stem-changing
patterns:
1 E changes to IE Example:
Querer to want, to love querer Singular Changes Plural Changes
1
st
person yo
quiero nosotros queremos
2
nd
person tú
quieres vosotros queries
3
rd
person élélla
quiere ellos quieren
Similarly-conjugated verbs note that there are –Ar, -ER and –IR verbs in this category:
advertir to
warn ascender
to go
up atravesar
to cross
cerrar to
close comenzar
to begin
descender to
go down
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despertarse to
wake up
divertirse to
have fun
empezar to
begin entender
to understand
mentir to
lie pensar
to think
perder to lose
preferir to
prefer quebrar
to break
recomendar to recommend
sentarse to
sit down
sentir to feel
2 O changes to UE Example:
Poder can, be able to
Poder Singular Changes Plural Changes
1
st
person yo
puedo nosotros podemos
2
nd
person tú
puedes vosotros podeméis
3
rd
person élélla
puede ellos pueden
Similarly verbs there are –AR, -ER and –IR verbs in this category: acostarse
to go
bed
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almorzar to
eat lunch
contar to
count costar
to cost
doler to
hurt dormer
to sleep
encontrar to
find jugar
to play
morir to die
mostrar to
show oler
to smell
probar to
try recodar
to remember
soler to be
used to
volar to
fly volver
to return
In jugar, the U changes to UE juego, juegas,… In oler, the O changes to HUE huelo, hueles,…
3 E changes to I Example: Repetir to repeat
Repetir Singular Changes Plural Changes
1
st
person yo
repito nosotros
repetimos 2
nd
person tú
repites vosotros
repetis 3
rd
person élélla
repite ellos
repiten
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Similar verbs only –IR verbs in this category: despedirse
to say
good-bye gemir
to moan,
groan impedir to
prevent medir
to mesure pedir
to ask
for reír
to laugh
seguir to
follow, continue
server to serve
sonréirse to
smile vestirse to
dress
2.3.3 Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense in Spanish
There are some types of Past Tenses in Spanish, they are :
Imperfecto
Pretérito
Condicional
Presente perfecto
Futuro perfecto
Pluscuamperfecto
Pretérito anterior
Condicional perfecto
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But in this thesis I just focus to the tenses to : Pretérito and Imperfecto which are equal with Simple Past Tense and Past Continuous Tense in
English.
a PRETERITO
The pretérito is the Spanish simple past tense, used to talk about things
that were completed in the past. To conjugate the preterito, it has different rules for each of the verbs.
Conjugating the pretérito: Regular verbs
Most regular Spanish -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs are conjugated with a standard root found by dropping the infinitive plus the appropriate endings.
-AR verbs
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ e nosotros
+ amos 2
nd
person tú
+ aste vosotros
+ asteis 3
rd
person élélla
+ o ellos
+ aron
So to conjugate the word hablar to speak, we drop the infinitive and add the appropriate endings, same like when we want to conjugate the –AR verb in
present tense but different endings.
Hablar Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
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1
st
person yo
hable nosotros
hablamos 2
nd
person tú
hablaste vosotros
hablasteis 3
rd
person élélla
hablo ellos
hablaron
The other example: Comprar to buy
Comprar Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
compre nosotros
compramos 2
nd
person tú compraste vosotros
comprasteis 3
rd
person élélla
compro ellos
compraron
In sentence: Yo Compre una chaqueta ayer. I bought a jacket yesterday.
The subject sometimes didn’t mention.
-ER Verbs and –IR Verbs
The preterito endings are identical for –ER and –IR verbs
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ í nosotros
+ imos 2
nd
person tú
+ iste vosotros
+ isteis 3
rd
person élélla
+ ió ellos
+ ieron
So to conjugate the word corer to run, we drop the infinitive and add the appropriate endings, same like when we want to conjugate the –ER verb in
present tense but different endings.
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Corer Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
corrí nosotros
corrimos 2
nd
person tú
Corriste vosotros
corristeis 3
rd
person élélla
Corrió ellos
corrieron
The other example: comer to eat
Comer Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
comí nosotros
comimos 2
nd
person tú
comiste vosotros
comisteis 3
rd
person élélla
comió ellos
comieron
In sentence: Comimos a las ocho.
We ate at 8 o’clock.
For example: vivir to live
Comer Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
viví nosotros
vivimos 2
nd
person tú
viviste vosotros
vivisteis 3
rd
person élélla
vivió ellos
vivieron
In sentence: Juan vivió en Ingles de 2001.
Juan lived in England in 2001.
STEM-CHANGING Verbs
Verbs which are stem-changing in the present tense may or may not be in the pretérito. Note that they use the same endings for the pretérito as regular verbs.
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Stem-changing verbs that end in -AR and -ER do not stem-change in the pretérito.
Verb Present tense Pretérito
pensar yo pienso yo
pensé entender él entiende él
entendió
Stem-changing verbs that end in -IR have a different stem change in the
pretérito. Those that have an E change to an I, and those that have an O change to a U, but only in the third person conjugations.
Pedir - to ask for yo pedí nosotros
pedimos tú pediste vosotros pedisteis
él pidió ellos pidieron
Dormir - to sleep yo dormí nosotros
dormimos tú dormiste vosotros dormisteis
él durmió ellos durmieron
Verbs which end in -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR have a stem-change in the first person singular of the pretérito, even if they are not stem-changing in the present
tense.
In these verbs, the C, G, or Z changes to QU, GU, or C, respectively.
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Buscar - to search, look for yo busqué nosotros buscamos
tú buscaste vosotros buscasteis él buscó ellos buscaron
Pagar - to pay yo pagué nosotros
pagamos tú pagaste vosotros pagasteis
él pagó ellos pagaron
Lanzar - to throw yo lancé nosotros
lanzamos tú lanzaste vosotros lanzasteis
él lanzó ellos lanzaron
Note that since -AR verbs lose their stem-change, -CAR, -GAR, and -ZAR verbs which are stem-changing in the present e.g., comenzar lose that stem-
change but gain a new one in the pretérito: yo comienzo present --» yo comencé
pretérito.
b IMPERFECTO
The imperfect tense is used to talk about a past action or state of being without specifying when it began or ended. It is often equivalent to was ___-ing
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in English. The Spanish imperfect can also express repeated actions in the past - equivalent to used to in English.
Conjugating the imperfecto
The imperfecto is relatively easy, because all regular and all but three irregular Spanish verbs are conjugated with the standard root found by dropping
the infinitive plus the appropriate endings.
-AR verbs
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ aba nosotros
+ abamos 2
nd
person tú
+ abas vosotros
+ abais 3
rd
person élélla
+ aba ellos
+ aban
To conjugate hablar to speak:
Hablar Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
hablaba nosotros
hablabamos 2
nd
person tú
hablabas vosotros
hablabais 3
rd
person élélla
hablaba ellos
hablaban
The other example: estudiar to study
estudiar Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
estudiaba nosotros
estudiabamos 2
nd
person tú estudiabas vosotros
estudiabais
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3
rd
person élélla
estudiaba ellos
estudiaban
In sentence: Estudiaba a las nueve de la mañana.
I was studying at nine this morning.
-ER Verbs and –IR Verbs
The imperfecto endings are identical for –ER and –IR verbs.
Singular Endings Plural Endings
1
st
person yo
+ ía nosotros
+ iamos 2
nd
person tú
+ ias vosotros
+ iais 3
rd
person élélla
+ ía ellos
+ ian
Corer Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
corría nosotros
corriamos 2
nd
person tú
corrias vosotros
corriais 3
rd
person élélla
corría ellos
corrian
The other example: leer to read
Leer Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person yo
leía nosotros
leiamos 2
nd
person tú
leias vosotros
leiais 3
rd
person élélla
leía ellos
leiian
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In the sentence: Ella leía el periodico.
She was reading the newspaper.
Example: escribir to write
Escribir Singular
After endings Plural
After endings
1
st
person Yo
escribía nosotros
escribiamos 2
nd
person Tú
escribias vosotros
escribiais 3
rd
person élélla
escribía ellos
escribian
In sentence: Escribía una carta a mi madre.
I was writing a letter to my mother.
IRREGULAR VERBS
Ir, ser, and ver are the only irregular verbs in the imperfecto.
Ir - to go yo iba nosotros íbamos
tú ibas vosotros ibais él iba ellos
iban
Ser - to be
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yo era nosotros éramos tú eras vosotros erais
él era ellos eran
Ver - to see yo veía nosotros veíamos
tú veías vosotros veíais él veía ellos
veían
A. The Form of Preterito and Imperfecto
Positive Form
The pattern: S + VERB PRETERITOIMPERFECTO+ O Compliment
Examples in Preterito:
Yo visité Barcelona el sabado = I visit Barcelona on Saturday S Verb O Compliment
Nosotros tomamos la medicina ayer
= We took the medicine yesterday S
Verb O Compliment
Yo compré unas naranjas =
I bought some oranges S Verb
O
Maria compró un regalo para su amigo = Maria bought a gift for her friend.
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S Verb O
Compliment
Nosotros lavamos la ropa = We washed the clothing. S
Verb O
El profesor explicó las palabras = The teacher explained the words yesterday. S
Verb O
Examples in Imperfecto:
Ella leía el periódico = She was reading the newspaper.
Bailabamos todos los dias = We used to dance every day.
Tenían tiempo de estudiar = They had time to study.
Caminaban por la calle cuando empezó a llover = They were walking down the street when it began to rain.
Juan sabía las noticias y estaba enojado = Juan knew about the news and
was angry.
Mientras pescaban, hablaban del partido de fútbol =While they were fishing they talked about the soccer game.
Note: Subject of the sentence in Spanish sometimes didn’t mention in the sentence, especially for the 1
st
and 2
nd
singular and plural person.
Negative Form
To make a Spanish statement or question negative, place “no” in front of the verb The pattern: NO + VERB PRETERITOIMPERFECTO+ OCompliment
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Examples:
No visité Barcelona el sabado = I didn’t visit Barcelona on Saturday
No tomamos la medicina ayer = We didn’t take the medicine yesterday
No compré unas naranjas = I didn’t buy some oranges
Ella no leía el periódico = She was not reading the newspaper.
Juan no sabía las noticias y estaba enojado = Juan didn’t know about the news and was angry.
No tenían tiempo de estudiar = They didn’t have time to study.
Interrogative Form
The pattern: There are three ways to form interrogative form in Spanish:
a. Put question marks around the positive sentence. Example:
¿Visitaste Barcelona el sabado? = Did you visit Barcelona on Saturday?
¿tTomamos la medicina ayer ? = Did we take the medicine yesterday?
¿Comprasté unas naranjas? = Did you buy some oranges?
¿Maria compró un regalo para su amigo? = Did Maria buy a gift for her
friend?
¿Lavamos la ropa? = Did we wash the clothing?
¿El profesor explicó las palabras? = Did the teacher explain the words?
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b. Information question
Information questions are more complicated; they ask for more information, such as who, what, when, where, why, how, which, etc.
quién who
dónde where
qué what
por qué why
cuándo when
cómo how
The pattern : ¿QUESTION WORD + VERB in present + S + OCompliment?
Examples:
¿qué compró maria para su amigo?
what did maria buy for her friend?
¿cuándo lavamos la ropa?
when did we wash the clothes?
¿dónde explicó el profesor las palabras?
where did the teacher explain the words?
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B. The Function Preterito and Imperfecto
The pretérito indicates:
I.
A single event Fui a España el año pasado - I went to Spain last year.
Visité Barcelona el sábado - I visited Barcelona on Saturday.
II. One or more events or actions that began and ended in the past
Fui a España - I went to Spain. Visité unos museos - I visited some museums.
III. An event that occurred, interrupting another action
...cuando me dijeron la verdad - ... when they told me the truth. ...cuando mi hija nació - when my daughter was born.
IV. Changes in an existing physical or mental state at a precise moment or for a
particular isolated cause Tuve miedo cuando vi el perro - I was scared when I saw the dog.
The imperfecto is used for:
I.
A habitual or repeated action
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Iba a España cada año - I went used to go to Spain every year. Visitaba mucho la Sagrada Familia - I often visited la Sagrada Familia.
II. An ongoing action with no specified completion
Iba a España - I was going to Spain. Visitaba unos museos - I was visiting museums.
III. Descriptionbackground information; set the scene of how things were or
what was happening when there was an interruption see pretérito III above Vivía en Costa Rica cuando... - I was living in Costa Rica when...
Estaba en mi cama cuando... - I was in bed when...
IV. General description of physical or mental states of being
Tenía miedo de perros - I was afraid of dogs.
V. Expression of the time of day or age in the past
Eran las cinco de la mañana - It was five a.m. Era sus cumpleaños; tenía doce años - It was his birthday; he was twelve.
Thus the imperfecto is normally used for descriptions of the past, while the pretérito narrates specific events. In addition, the imperfecto often sets the
stage for an event expressed with the pretérito.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Method