Learn about imperfect past tense
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Dylan: Hola, hola, soy Dylan. |
| Carlos: Carlos here. “The Imperfect Tense – Recap” |
| Dylan: Hey, everybody. Thanks for coming. This is Dylan. |
| Carlos: What’s the good word, pod101 world? |
| Dylan: Welcome to another edition of the Verb Conjugation Series coming to you on demand from Spanishpod101.com. |
| Carlos: Plug in those headphones, turn up the volume, download the PDF and get ready to learn all you need to know about how to conjugate verbs in Spanish. |
| Dylan: And how to use them, as well. |
| Carlos: Dylan, today we have a recap lesson. We made it through our second set of conjugations. The Imperfect seems so much clear, right now. |
| Dylan: So, we’re going back through which lessons exactly? |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Carlos: We’re going to look back at lessons 20, 21, 22 and 23 to make sure that we have got a clear picture of how the Imperfect Tense of the Indicative Mood is used and formed. |
| Dylan: Me parece muy bien Carlitos, vamos a hacer un repaso. |
| Carlos: Así es, un repaso. |
| Dylan: Now, even though we’re going to recap what we’ve been looking at, I think we should still cover the formation of more verbs in the Imperfect Tense. |
| Carlos: No doubt. Did you have any particular verbs in mind? |
| Dylan: Claro. |
| Carlos: ¿Y cuáles son? |
| Dylan: They are “trabajar”, “comer” y “comprender”. |
| Carlos: Okay, ok. So, that’s “trabajar” – “to work”, “comer” – “to eat” and “comprender” – “to understand”. |
| Dylan: Hey, man. Your vocabulary is pretty good. |
| Carlos: Thanks, thanks. |
| Dylan: Now, you just have to learn how to use it. |
| Carlos: Well, that’s why I have the PDF for this and all of the lesson that I studied at Spanishpod101.com. |
| Dylan: I would think the PDFs would help. |
| Carlos: They do because listening the lessons is good, but you know what? It’s only one thing. To learn a language, you need so much more. |
| Dylan: Entonces, amiguito Carlos, ¿qué es lo que estudiamos en la lección 20? . What did we look at in lesson 20? |
| Carlos: Oh, Lesson 20, we looked at the Imperfect Tense – Past durations. |
| Dylan: ¿Y qué más? |
| Carlos: What else? |
| Dylan: Well, thanks for the title of the lesson, but what exactly does that mean? |
| Carlos: Oh, we never know the starting point or the ending point of the action. |
| Dylan: Okay. So, what comes across? |
| Carlos: Duration thus Imperfect Tense – Past durations. |
| Dylan: Nicely done. |
| Carlos: Thank you, thank you. |
| Dylan: Well, how about an example? |
| Carlos: An example you say. “Hablaba por teléfono”. |
| Dylan: Which means? |
| Carlos: “I was talking on the phone.” |
| Dylan: Sí. So, we don’t know the starting or ending point of your conversation, we don’t know how long you were talking, so what comes across? |
| Carlos: Well, once again, that would be a sense of duration, profe. |
| Dylan: Excellent. How about if I wanted to say “Yesterday I was cleaning my room.”? |
| Carlos: “Ayer arreglaba mi cuarto”. |
| Dylan: Nice. So, what do these examples have in common? |
| Carlos: Well, we know that they happen in the past, just not for how long. |
| Dylan: I think working on this series is benefiting you, Carlos. |
| Carlos: Dylan, how could it not? |
| Dylan: Nice. So, after that? In Lesson 21 we looked at how the Imperfect Tense of the Indicative Mood can be used to express courtesy. |
| Carlos: How could I forget? |
| Dylan: Well, you’ve obviously forgotten your lesson in manners. |
| Carlos: Madame, we’re talking about that way in one year and out the other. |
| Dylan: So, Carlos, I have a question for you. |
| Carlos: Shoot. |
| Dylan: Why is the Imperfect Tense used to express courtesy? |
| Carlos: Well, if I remember correctly, it kind of seems more polite than it does in the Present. |
| Dylan: Do you remember the example that I gave? |
| Carlos: Yes, the one with the restaurant, right? |
| Dylan: Yes, that’s one. |
| Carlos: ¿Qué deseaba usted? |
| Dylan: What does that mean? |
| Carlos: “What would you care for, Sir?” |
| Dylan: Now, doesn’t that seem more polite? |
| Carlos: Yes, I know it does it thus I have to say you’re right. |
| Dylan: Okay. So, in Lesson 22, we saw that the Imperfect with Conditionals. |
| Carlos: Okay, that one’s a little shaky, too. |
| Dylan: Okay. This one is not bad. |
| Carlos: Like, just to recap, what do you mean when you say with Conditionals? |
| Dylan: Well, we’re really talking about Conditional statements. Like, where the outcome of an action is depended of that of another. |
| Carlos: All right, all right. It’s getting clearer. The rain is leaving, it’s almost gone. But look, in order to remember this, I have to forget something else. So, maybe an example will help. |
| Dylan: “¿Deseaba una bebida?” With Conditionals, it’s like saying “Did you want a drink?” |
| Carlos: Instead of, instead of? |
| Dylan: “¿Desearía una bebida?” – “Would you like a drink?” |
| Carlos: Okay, I get what you’re saying, but I have to admit that I think I’ll need to brush up on the Conditional statements by listening the Lower Intermediate Lessons 1 to 4. And also David and Megan’s Iberian Lessons #25. |
| Dylan: Carlos, if you can remember all those lessons and where they appeared, why can’t you remember how it’s used? |
| Carlos: That’s very simple. The Grammar Bank in the Learning Center has a list of all the lessons that doubt with this topic. Now, just because I know which lessons doubt with it, did it mean I like, really riding to the depth and like paying attention to it, really. |
| Dylan: All right. So, check out the Grammar Bank as well. I know how at home you aren’t there. |
| Carlos: No, I am, I am, you got it. I am. I love to study it more, I didn’t know it, but it’s just something that I never understand. But, I knew I was going to record today with you, so I waited for with the question. |
| Dylan: All right. So, do you remember our last lesson? |
| Carlos: Of course. We had the courtesy between the Imperfect and the Preterit Tense. |
| Dylan: Do you remember the difference? |
| Carlos: Well, I remember the main similarity. |
| Dylan: Which is? |
| Carlos: Well the Imperfect and the Preterit Tenses both express different ways of looking at past actions or events. |
| Dylan: Good. So, they’re both dealing with the past, but how do they differ? |
| Carlos: Okay, mainly as we’ve said, the Imperfect designates an action as going on in the past. But, without any reference towards beginning or end. |
| Dylan: I’ll take the explanation. |
| Carlos: Thanks. |
| Dylan: And the Preterit? |
| Carlos: Well, the Preterit is different all together. The Preterit Tense designates an action as completed in the past, right? |
| Dylan: That’s right. |
| Carlos: Now, I had the difference, but how about some examples, so let’s move from theory to action. |
| Dylan: Okay. So, Imperfect. “Cuando estaba en la universidad, estudiaba chino”. |
| Carlos: Okay, so in English that would be “When I was at the university, I studied Chinese.”? |
| Dylan: We could say that in another way in English. |
| Carlos: “When I was at the university, I used to study Chinese.”? |
| Dylan: Right. So, we don’t know how long you were in the university, could’ve been four or in your case, Carlos, eight. |
| Carlos: I really, really liked college. |
| Dylan: So, here’s an example with the same subject, but in the Preterit Tense. |
| Carlos: All right. Tell me. |
| Dylan: “Ayer estudié chino”. |
| Carlos: “Yesterday I studied Chinese.” |
| Dylan: So, here we know that I studied Chinese yesterday. |
| Carlos: Exactly. The action was completed yesterday. |
| Dylan: That’s the Preterit. |
| Carlos: You know, I think I got the difference, so I think these differences were worth me spending a little time on it. |
| Dylan: That’s right, Carlos. Spend a little time and you’ll pay off at the end. Prosigamos con la formación verbal. |
| Carlos: That’s right. Time to look at how to form verbs in the Imperfect. First, we learned how the language works, and now how to make it work for us. |
| Dylan: First up, the verb “trabajar” – “to work”. |
| Carlos: I’m ready when you are. |
| Dylan: So, just a couple of minor points to make here. Carlos, is “trabajar” a regular or irregular verb? |
| Carlos: Regular. |
| Dylan: Right. So, in forming the Imperfect Tense of the Indicative Mood for regular “ar” verbs, what are “ar” endings? |
| Carlos: “-aba”, “-abas”, “-aba”, “-ábamos”, “-abais”, “-aban”. |
| Dylan: Ready for “trabajar”? |
| Carlos: ¡Vamos! |
| Dylan: “Trabajar”. |
| Carlos: “To work.” |
| Dylan: “Yo trabajaba”. |
| Carlos: “I was working.” |
| Dylan: “Tú trabajarías”. |
| Carlos: “You were working.” |
| Dylan: “Él trabajaba”. |
| Carlos: “He was working.” |
| Dylan: “Nosotros trabajábamos”. |
| Carlos: “We were working.” |
| Dylan: “Vosotros trabajabais”. |
| Carlos: “You all were working.” |
| Dylan: “Ellos trabajaban”. |
| Carlos: “They were working.” How about some examples with “trabajar” in the Imperfect Tense? |
| Dylan: “Yo trabajaba en el centro”. – “I used to work downtown.” |
| Carlos: You know, I pity anybody who works in downtown San José, I mean it’s taking like half of hour to get here and I live up the street. And that’s a go. It’s amazing. |
| Dylan: Yes, San José can be rough, but it’s also a nice, colorful city. If you go to the right neighborhoods. |
| Carlos: Is it that how you call it? Colorful? |
| Dylan: Hey. |
| Carlos: I’m just talking about downtown, I’m not talking about like Escazú and like over there, you know. |
| Dylan: Leave my Chepe Centro alone. |
| Carlos: I will. I noticed that when you say that, the taxi driver is give you a cheaper. All right. How about another example? |
| Dylan: All right. Here goes. “Ella trabajaba con mi tío”. |
| Carlos: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. |
| Dylan: “She used to work with my uncle.” “Ustedes trabajaban duro hasta que terminaron el proyecto” – “You all were working hard until you finished the project.” |
| Carlos: That’s right. We always work hard here at Spanishpod101.com because we’re very, very, very loyal to this project. Right, Dylan? |
| Dylan: Right. |
| Carlos: You know what? I think I got it. Now, what’s the deal with the verb “comer”? |
| Dylan: Another regular “er” verb. |
| Carlos: Nice. |
| Dylan: Yes. |
| Carlos: Well, let’s see those forms then. |
| Dylan: All right. Here goes. “Comer”. |
| Carlos: “To eat.” |
| Dylan: “Yo comía”. |
| Carlos: “I was eating.” |
| Dylan: “Tú comías”. |
| Carlos: “You were eating.” |
| Dylan: “Él comía”. |
| Carlos: “He was eating.” |
| Dylan: “Nosotros comíamos”. |
| Carlos: “We were eating.” |
| Dylan: “Vosotros comíais”. |
| Carlos: “You all were eating.” |
| Dylan: “Ellos comían”. |
| Carlos: “They were eating.” You know, Dylan, can we have a few examples of the verb “comer” in the Imperfect Tense? |
| Dylan: Of course. “Comíamos mucho, cuando yo era joven” – “We used to eat a lot when I was young.” |
| Carlos: Me too. I was , let me tell you. I was little chubby boy. |
| Dylan: I can tell. |
| Carlos: All right. |
| Dylan: That’s scary. |
| Carlos: That’s true. I got a little you know what I’m saying, it’s alright. |
| Dylan: “Ellos comían sopa cuando llegaron sus amigos”. – “They were eating soup when their friends arrived.” |
| Carlos: Okay, I have nothing to say about that one. |
| Dylan: Maybe “olla de carne”. That would be so good on a rainy day. |
| Carlos: What? A part of me? |
| Dylan: And vegetables, and roots. |
| Carlos: No, but it means part of me, and I wanted this whole big thing with Naty in the Costa Rica Series, like, like very creative part of me. |
| Dylan: Yes. “Olla de carne”, you’re right. |
| Carlos: Truth. |
| Dylan: You’re right. |
| Carlos: Okay. |
| Dylan: Okay. “Yo comía mucha grasa, pero ya cambié mi dieta”. – “I used to eat a lot of fat, but now I changed my diet.” |
| Carlos: So, then you have a tasteless diet that really doesn’t taste good at all? |
| Dylan: Hey. Olive oil versus that all fatty stuff. |
| Carlos: Like what? Lard? |
| Dylan: Yes. Lard. |
| Carlos: Want some lard? No, sorry. I don’t understand why. So, wait, just one more for today. |
| Dylan: “Comprender”. |
| Carlos: “To understand.” So, what do I need to know about this one? |
| Dylan: No stem change, it’s a regular verb. |
| Carlos: Nice. You know what? I really like the regular verbs, I really do like them. |
| Dylan: Okay. Well, let’s go with this one. “Comprender”. |
| Carlos: “To understand.” |
| Dylan: “Yo comprendía”. |
| Carlos: “I used to understand.” |
| Dylan: “Tú comprendías”. |
| Carlos: “You used to understand.” |
| Dylan: “Él comprendía”. |
| Carlos: “He used to understand.” |
| Dylan: “Nosotros comprendíamos”. |
| Carlos: “We used to understand.” |
| Dylan: “Vosotros comprendíais”. |
| Carlos: “You all used to understand.” |
| Dylan: “Ellos comprendían”. |
| Carlos: “They used to understand” And, you know what? To finish this off, let’s put the verb “comprender” in context with some examples of it in the Imperfect Tense. |
| Dylan: “No comprendíamos las lecciones”. – “We were not understanding the lessons.” |
| Carlos: Until we downloaded the PDF in the Learning Center at Spanishpod101.com and listen to us on repeat as I’ll driving in my car. |
| Dylan: Así es. All right. Here’s another one. “Yo comprendía el inglés, pero no podía hablarlo”. – “I used to understand English, but I wasn’t able to speak it.” |
| Carlos: You know, that’s a very common, common excuse when people are learning languages. |
| Dylan: Yes. |
| Carlos: Like, I know a lot of people in my family, like “You speak Spanish? I understand, but don’t know how to speak.” |
| Dylan: It’s like they’re shy. |
| Carlos: It’s like they don’t understand, they’re just like “I don’t know how to speak.” |
| Dylan: No, it’s shy, people are shy to make a mistake. |
| Carlos: Yes, it’s true. |
| Dylan: I think that’s what it is. All right. “¿Ustedes comprendían lo que decía mi abuela?” – “Did you all used to understand what my grandmother would say?” |
| Carlos: Not at all. And I will just smile and nod. Especially when she was telling about that saying about where two eat, three eat. What does that mean? I mean like “sí”, I just smile and “sí” and nod my head. That’s right. What is that mean? Woman, I have no idea. |
Outro |
| Dylan: Bueno, entonces, ¡hasta luego audience! |
| Carlos: I love the spanglish! You be good out there, Pod101 world. |
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