SPANISH
2














































UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN


REVIEW OF SER IN PRESENT & PAST TENSE



Present Tense Conjugation Past Tense Conjugation

ACTIVIDAD DE ESCUCHAR Y ESCRIBIR (SPEAKING & LISTENING)

DIRECCIONES: Working with a partner who has chart B, ask the person if they were the following adjectives when they
were younger. Write your question in the box provided, check their answer, and then write the sentence in the él/ella form.

# CHART A SÍ NO WRITE THE SENTENCE IN THE ÉL/ELLA FORM.

EX. ¿ERAS ACTIVO? X [NAME] ERA ACTIVO.

1.

3.

5.

# CHART B SÍ NO WRITE THE SENTENCE IN THE ÉL/ELLA FORM.

EX. ¿ERAS ACTIVO? X [NAME] ERA ACTIVO.

2.
 
 
 




4.
 
 
 



6.
 
 
 



SPANISH
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UNIT
7
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RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN




THE PAST TENSES IN SPANISH

THERE ARE TWO PAST TENSES?! UNLIKE ENGLISH, THE SPANISH LANGUAGE HAS TWO PAST TENSES.
WE’VE ALREADY LEARNED THAT WHEN TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST, WE USE THE
_________________ FORM IN SPANISH. THE OTHER TENSE IS CALLED THE ________________ FORM. BOTH
TENSES ARE USED TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN THE PAST.

SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? IN GENERAL, THE PRETERITE IS USED WHEN SPEAKING OF A _____________
___________, THAT IS, WHEN THE VERB REFERS TO AN ACTION THAT HAS A ________ ________. ON THE
OTHER HAND, THE OTHER PAST TENSE IS KNOWN AS AN IMPERFECT TENSE BECAUSE "IMPERFECT" CAN ALSO MEAN
"___________"; THE IMPERFECT IS USED TO REFER TO AN ACTION THAT DOESN'T HAVE A _________________.

HOW DOES THIS TRANSLATE TO ENGLISH? SINCE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DOESN'T HAVE A SPECIAL TENSE
TO INDICATE REPETITIVE OR ONGOING ACTIONS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS TO GET ACROSS THIS IDEA. THE
EXPRESSION ________________ IN FRONT OF A VERB, OR EVEN USING THE WORD _____________ IN FRONT
OF THE VERB CAN INDICATE REPETITIVE ACTIONS, SIMILAR TO THE IMPERFECT TENSE IN SPANISH.

FOR EXAMPLE: “I USED TO STUDY A LOT” OR “I WOULD CRY EVERY DAY IN KINDERGARTEN.”

EL PRETERITO VS. EL IMPERFECTO

WHAT IS THE PRETERITE TENSE?

WHAT IS THE IMPERFECT TENSE?

THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT ARE BOTH USED TO REFER TO ______ _________.

THE PRETERITE IS USED… THE IMPERFECT IS USED…

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4.

S W
A A
F T
E E
R
S
ANOTHER FINAL WAY TO VIEW THE PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT IS TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT RECORD THE PAST….
PRETERITE = _____________________ IMPERFECT = _____________________
SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN




THE PAST TENSES IN SPANISH

THERE ARE TWO PAST TENSES?! UNLIKE ENGLISH, THE SPANISH LANGUAGE HAS TWO PAST TENSES.
WE’VE ALREADY LEARNED THAT WHEN TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST, WE USE THE
PRETERITE FORM IN SPANISH. THE OTHER TENSE IS CALLED THE IMPERFECT FORM. BOTH TENSES ARE USED TO
TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN THE PAST.

SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? IN GENERAL, THE PRETERITE IS USED WHEN SPEAKING OF A COMPLETED
ACTION, THAT IS, WHEN THE VERB REFERS TO AN ACTION THAT HAS A CLEAR ENDING. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE
OTHER PAST TENSE IS KNOWN AS AN IMPERFECT TENSE BECAUSE "IMPERFECT" CAN ALSO MEAN "INCOMPLETE";
THE IMPERFECT IS USED TO REFER TO AN ACTION THAT DOESN'T HAVE A CLEAR OR SPECIFIC ENDING.

HOW DOES THIS TRANSLATE TO ENGLISH? SINCE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DOESN'T HAVE A SPECIAL TENSE
TO INDICATE REPETITIVE OR ONGOING ACTIONS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS TO GET ACROSS THIS IDEA. THE
EXPRESSION ‘USED TO’ IN FRONT OF A VERB, OR EVEN USING THE WORD ‘WOULD’ IN FRONT OF THE VERB CAN
INDICATE REPETITIVE ACTIONS, SIMILAR TO THE IMPERFECT TENSE IN SPANISH.

FOR EXAMPLE: “I USED TO STUDY A LOT” OR “I WOULD CRY EVERY DAY IN KINDERGARTEN.”

EL PRETERITO VS. EL IMPERFECTO

WHAT IS THE PRETERITE TENSE?
The Preterite Tense is used to express past actions that have a specific beginning and end, events that happened
once or in a focused duration of time.

WHAT IS THE IMPERFECT TENSE?

The Imperfect Tense is used to express on-going events or repeated actions that take place without a specific
beginning or end; as well as characteristics or descriptions

THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT ARE BOTH USED TO REFER TO THE PAST.
THE PRETERITE IS USED… THE IMPERFECT IS USED…
1. ONE TIME, COMPLETED ACTIONS IN THE PAST 1. ON-GOING ACTIONS IN THE PAST
2. SPECIFIC EVENTS IN THE PAST (ALREADY OVER) 2. INCOMPLETE ACTIONS IN THE PAST
3. INTERRUPTIONS IN THE PAST 3. REPEATED ACTIONS IN THE PAST
4. WHAT PEOPLE USED TO DO ALL THE TIME

SPECIFIC INSTANCE IN PAST WEATHER

ACTION THAT INTERRUPTS ONGOING EVENTS AGE
FOCUS ON BEGINNING OR END OF ACTION TIME
ENCLOSED AMOUNT OF TIME EMOTION
REPETITION
SETTING OR DESCRIPTION
ANOTHER FINAL WAY TO VIEW THE PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT IS TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT RECORD THE PAST….
PRETERITE = SNAPSHOT IMPERFECT = VIDEO
 SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN



PRETERITE TENSE CONJUGATION
-AR Verb Endings -ER Verb Endings -IR Verb Endings
Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending

Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros

Tú Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas,
Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes

IMPERFECT TENSE CONJUGATION

-AR Verb Endings -ER Verb Endings -IR Verb Endings

Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending

Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros

Tú Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas,
Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes

CONJUGATION PRACTICE
CONJUGATE THE FOLLOWING IN THE IMPERFECT: HABLAR, COMER, DORMIR, PRACTICAR, BEBER, ESCRIBIR



Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb

Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros

Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Usted Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes Él, Ella, Usted Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes
SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN




‘TRIGGER WORDS’ FOR THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT

THERE ARE CERTAIN ‘TRIGGER WORDS’, OR WORDS THAT INDICATE WHETHER OR NOT THE PRETERITE OR IMPERFECT
SHOULD BE USED IN A CERTAIN SENTENCE. IT IS OFTEN EASIER TO REMEMBER THESE WORDS THAN TO MEMORIZE EACH AND
EVERY EXAMPLE OF WHEN TO USE THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT. KNOWING THESE WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND HELP
YOU QUICKLY DETERMINE WHICH FORM YOU SHOULD USE WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT PAST EVENTS IN SPANISH.

EL PRETERITO EL IMPERFECTO
SPANISH ENGLISH SPANISH ENGLISH

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: QUICK REVIEW OF THE PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT

Indicate whether you would use the IMPERFECT or the PRETERITE in each of the following situations:
1. To indicate something that happened repeatedly in the past IMPERFECT PRETERITE
2. To express what something USED to be like IMPERFECT PRETERITE
3. To talk about something that ended on a specific date IMPERFECT PRETERITE
4. To express ongoing situations that have no specific place in time. IMPERFECT PRETERITE
5. To talk about something that interrupted an ongoing event IMPERFECT PRETERITE
6. To explain what you were like as a child IMPERFECT PRETERITE
7. To tell what time it was (when something happened) IMPERFECT PRETERITE
8. To talk about what the weather was like on a particular day. IMPERFECT PRETERITE
9. To tell someone at what time it started raining yesterday. IMPERFECT PRETERITE
10. To describe/talk about what a place or event was like. IMPERFECT PRETERITE
SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN




‘TRIGGER WORDS’ FOR THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT

THERE ARE CERTAIN ‘TRIGGER WORDS’, OR WORDS THAT INDICATE WHETHER OR NOT THE PRETERITE OR IMPERFECT
SHOULD BE USED IN A CERTAIN SENTENCE. IT IS OFTEN EASIER TO REMEMBER THESE WORDS THAN TO MEMORIZE EACH AND
EVERY EXAMPLE OF WHEN TO USE THE PRETERITE AND THE IMPERFECT. KNOWING THESE WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND HELP
YOU QUICKLY DETERMINE WHICH FORM YOU SHOULD USE WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT PAST EVENTS IN SPANISH.

EL PRETERITO EL IMPERFECTO
SPANISH ENGLISH SPANISH ENGLISH
ANOCHE LAST NIGHT SIEMPRE ALWAYS
AYER YESTERDAY TODO EL TIEMPO ALL THE TIME
ANTEAYER THE DAY BEFORE CUANDO ERA NINO WHEN I WAS A CHILD
YESTERDAY
LA SEMANA PASADA LAST WEEK CUANDO ERA JOVEN WHEN I WAS YOUNG
EL ANO PASADO LAST YEAR MIENTRAS WHILE
DE REPENTE SUDDENLY A VECES SOMETIMES
ESTA MANANA THIS MORNING DE VEZ EN CUANDO ONCE IN A WHILE
EL OTRO DIA THE OTHER DAY MUCHAS VECES MANY TIMES / OFTEN
POR PRIMERA VEZ FOR FIRST TIME TODOS LOS DIAS EVERY DAY
POR FIN FINALLY TODOS LOS VERANOS EVERY SUMMER

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: QUICK REVIEW OF THE PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT

Indicate whether you would use the IMPERFECT or the PRETERITE in each of the following situations:
1. To indicate something that happened repeatedly in the past IMPERFECT
2. To express what something USED to be like IMPERFECT
3. To talk about something that ended on a specific date PRETERITE
4. To express ongoing situations that have no specific place in time. IMPERFECT
5. To talk about something that interrupted an ongoing event PRETERITE
6. To explain what you were like as a child IMPERFECT
7. To tell what time it was (when something happened) IMPERFECT
8. To talk about what the weather was like on a particular day. IMPERFECT
9. To tell someone at what time it started raining yesterday. IMPERFECT
10. To describe/talk about what a place or event was like. IMPERFECT
 SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN



WHAT'S PAST IS PAST, BUT IN SPANISH WHAT'S PAST MAY BE EITHER PRETERITE OR IMPERFECT.

REVIEW OF PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT

USING YOUR PACKET FROM LAST CLASS, FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING CHART ONCE AGAIN:
THE PRETERITE IS USED… THE IMPERFECT IS USED…
S W
A
A
T
F
E
E R
S

WE CAN ALSO THINK ABOUT THE PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT IN TERMS OF HOW WE RECORD THE PAST….
WHICH TENSE IS LIKE A SNAPSHOT OF THE PAST? ____________________
WHICH TENSE IS SIMILAR TO A VIDEO OF THE PAST? ____________________

PRACTICE WITH THE IMPERFECT (IN ENGLISH)

READ THE SENTENCES BELOW AND UNDERLINE TRIGGER WORDS TO HELP YOU DETERMINE
WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD USE THE IMPERFECT OR PRETERITE TENSE. CIRCLE EITHER THE
IMPERFECT OR PRETERITE AND MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE A REASON FOR YOUR CHOICE.

SENTENCE IMPERFECT OR PRETERITE REASON

1) They ate dinner every night at 8:00. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

2) It started snowing as soon as we arrived. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

3) It was snowing all day. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

4) I was so excited I couldn’t focus. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

5) George Bush was president for 8 long years. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

6) We stopped by while you were sleeping. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

7) When I was 8 I was the tallest girl in my class. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

8) You used to make fun of me in middle school. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

9) We were playing together in the park….. IMPERFECT PRETERITE __________________________

10) … when all of a sudden, it started pouring. IMPERFECT PRETERITE` __________________________

 SPANISH
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UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN



LISTENING PRACTICE
AS MR. MINOT READS SENTENCES IN SPANISH, DECIDE WHETHER THEY ARE SPOKEN IN THE PRETERITE OR THE IMPERFECT.

PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO

OR OR OR OR OR
IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO

AS MR. MINOT READS SENTENCES IN ENGLISH, DECIDE WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN PRETERITE OR IMPERFECT.

PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO PRETERITO

OR OR OR OR OR
IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO IMPERFECTO

REVIEW OF CONJUGATION OF THE IMPERFECT

-AR Verb Endings -ER Verb Endings -IR Verb Endings

Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending Subject Ending

Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros Yo Nosotros

Tú Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas, Él, Ella, Ellos, Ellas,
Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes Usted Ustedes

PRACTICA CON EL IMPERFECTO (EN ESPANOL)

STEP 1: UNDERLINE THE TRIGGER WORD OF EACH SENTENCE.
STEP 2: CIRCLE EITHER PRETERITO OR IMPERFECTO.
STEP 3: CONJUGATE THE VERB IN THE PRETERITE OR IMPERFECT BASED ON THE SUBJECT PRONOUN.
STEP 4: TRANSLATE THE SPANISH SENTENCE INTO ENGLISH.

1. Yo ______________________________ (hablar) por teléfono anoche. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Nosotros _____________________ (estudiar) en la bibliteca todos los días. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

3. El ____________________________________ (cantar) a veces. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Cuando yo era niña, yo __________________________ (dormir) mucho. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________
SPANISH
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/
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ERA
JOVEN



5. Ellos _______________________________ (comer) juntos de vez en cuando. PRETERITE IMPERFECT
___________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Ustedes _______________________________ (llamar) su madre por fin. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Mr. Minot __________________________ (correr) el maraton el año pasado. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Tú _______________________________ (beber) mucho cafe esta mañana. PRETERITE IMPERFECT

___________________________________________________________________________________________

PRACTICE WITH PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECT



CONJUGATE THE VERB IN PARENTHESIS IN THE IMPERFECT TENSE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE SENTENCE.
1. Cuando era nino, yo ______________________________ al futbol. (JUGAR)
2. Cuando era nino, ella _____________________________ los libros. (LEER)
3. Cuando eran ninos, ellos _________________________ la guitarra (TOCAR)
4. Cuando eramos ninos, nosotros __________________ en el oceano. (NADAR)
5. Cuando eras nino, tu _____________________________ las artes marciales. (PRACTICAR)


DIRECTIONS: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH THE IMPERFECT OR THE PRETERITE
UNDERLINE THE SUBJECT PRONOUN. CIRCLE THE TRIGGER WORD IN SPANISH.

1. Ayer, yo _______________________ al gimnasio. (LEVANTAR PESAS)

2. Cuando era niño, ____________________________ al gimnasio todos los dias. (LEVANTAR PESAS)
3. Cuando ellos eran niños, _________________________ en la Ciudad de Nueva York. (VIVIR)
4. La semana pasada, ella ________________________________ una bufanda roja. (COMPRAR)
5. Todo el tiempo nosotros __________________________ los pantalones y las camisas blancas. (LLEVAR)
6. Ayer Mr. Minot ________________________ los pantalones negros y una camisa azul. (LLEVAR)
7. Cuando ellos eran niños _______________________ deportes cada verano. (JUGAR)
8. Mi padre siempre ___________________________ en la oficina, cuando yo era niño. (TRABAJAR)
10. Cuando yo era niño, mis primos y yo_____________________________ mucho helado. (COMER)
11. La semana pasada, ellos _______________________________ cartas a la familia. (ESCRIBIR)

12. Mientras yo _________________________________ musica (ESCUCHAR), mi madre me

____________________________ por telefono. (LLAMAR)








SPANISH
2














































UNIT
7
–
RECUERDOS
DEL
PASADO
/
CUANDO
ERA
JOVEN



READING PRACTICE: GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE BEARS


(Hubo , Había) una vez tres osos que (vivieron , vivían) en el bosque: Papá Oso, Mamá Osa, y Bebé Oso. Un
día Mamá Osa (hizo , hacía) una sopa de arroz con pollo y (puso , ponía) tres platos en la mesa. Como ya (fue,
era) mediodía, los osos (se sentaron , se sentaban) para comer porque (tuvieron, tenían) muchísima hambre.
Papá Oso (probó, probaba) la sopa primero y (dijo, decía) -¡Ay! ¡La sopa está muy caliente!- Entonces Bebé Oso
y Mamá Osa (quisieron , querían) comer la sopa pero no (pudieron, podían) porque (estuvo, estaba) tan
caliente como la sopa de Papá Oso. Los tres osos (decidieron , decidían) dar un paseo mientras (se enfrió, se
enfriaba) la sopa. (Fue , Era) un día bonito del verano y (hizo, hacía) sol.

Los osos (se divirtieron, se divertían) cuando una niña perdida (llegó, llegaba) a la casa. (Se llamó, Se
llamaba) Ricitos de Oro y (fue, era) una chica curiosa. Ella siempre (jugó, jugaba) cerca de su casa pero ese día
(se perdió, se perdía) en el bosque. Ricitos de Oro (se acercó, se acercaba) a la casa y (miró, miraba) por la
ventana pero no (hubo, había) nadie en el interior. Entonces (abrió, abría) la puerta y (entró, entraba) en la casa.
Ricitos (se alegró, se alegraba) cuando (vio, veía) los tres platos de sopa. Ricitos (se comió, se comía) toda la
sopa del plato pequeño porque (estuvo, estaba) perfecta - ni demasiado caliente ni fría.

WRITING PRACTICE
WRITE 3 ORIGINAL SENTENCES IN SPANISH IN THE IMPERFECT ABOUT WHAT YOU USED TO DO IN THE PAST.
1.

2.

3.

WRITE 3 ORIGINAL SENTENCES IN SPANISH IN THE PRETERITE ABOUT WHAT YOU DID LAST WEEK.
1.

2.

3.

BONUS:
WRITE 1 ORIGINAL SENTENCE IN SPANISH USING BOTH THE PRETERITE AND IMPERFECT!
(WHILE YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING, SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE INTERRUPTED YOU….)

1.