Friday, March 13, 2015

When To Use The Spanish Preterite

Use the Spanish preterit tense when the verb is ...


  1. moving the action forward                         (Forward)
  2. an action limited in time                             (Rate)
  3. an act that begins or ends in the past          (Ends)
  4. an emotional, physical, or mental change  (Emotional)
To remember the above, I just think of the word FREE because that is what I feel when I think of past (preterit) boyfriends.

Key Word
What It Means
Example English
Example Spanish
Forward
Moves the action forward
He lost his job. He wrecked his car. He yelled at my cat
 Él perdió su trabajo. Él destrozó su coche. Él le gritó a mi gato.
Rate
An action limited in time or a rate
He called me 1,000 times.
Me llamó mil veces.
End
An act that ends or begins in the past
I began to see his weaknesses.
Yo comencé a ver sus debilidades.
Emotion
An emotional, physical, or mental change
Upon seeing his behavior, I became annoyed.
Al ver su comportamiento, me enojé.