I. Repasito
Conjuga en el pretérito
II. El imperfecto
Today we will learn how to conjugate the imperfect tense. The imperfect is another form of the simple past tense in Spanish. Please take notes.
When do we use the imperfect tense in Spanish?
The imperfect is used to describe past habitual actions or to set the scene in the past. It is used to describe what a person used to do or was doing.
1) Actions repeated habitually: Activities you did over and over for a long period of undetermined time .
2) Actions that set the stage for other actions: The imperfect action is interrupted by an action in the preterite.
3) Telling time and dates in the past
4) Describing a scene or a person in the past
5) Describing mental/emotional states or desires in the past
How do we conjugate in the imperfect tense?
There are two sets of imperfect endings: one for -ar verbs and another for -er/-ir verbs.
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect.
There are no verbs with stem-changes or spell-changes in the imperfect.
Regular imperfect endings:
Conjuga en el pretérito
- Ud. ___________. (querer)
- Nosotros _________________. (estar)
- Ellas _______________. (saber)
- Yo ________________. (tener)
- Él y yo _____________. (hacer)
- Las chicas _____________. (poder)
- Vosotras ________________. (andar)
- Los estudiantes y la profesora __________. (dar)
- Tú no _____________. (traer)
- Ustedes _____________. (decir)
II. El imperfecto
Today we will learn how to conjugate the imperfect tense. The imperfect is another form of the simple past tense in Spanish. Please take notes.
When do we use the imperfect tense in Spanish?
The imperfect is used to describe past habitual actions or to set the scene in the past. It is used to describe what a person used to do or was doing.
1) Actions repeated habitually: Activities you did over and over for a long period of undetermined time .
- Almorzábamos todos los domingos. We used to eat lunch every Sunday.
- Todos los sábados, las chicas iban de compras. Every Saturday, the girls would go shopping.
2) Actions that set the stage for other actions: The imperfect action is interrupted by an action in the preterite.
- Estaba (imperfect) durmiendo cuando sonó (preterite) el teléfono. I was sleeping when the phone rang.
- Mi madre cocinaba cuando entré la casa. My mother was cooking when I entered the house.
3) Telling time and dates in the past
- Eran las cuatro de la tarde. It was four in the afternoon.
- Era lunes, el 15 de diciembre. It was Monday, December 15.
4) Describing a scene or a person in the past
- La niña tenía cinco años. The girl was five years old.
- Mi amiga era baja y rubia. My friend was short and blonde.
- Hacía frío anoche. It was cold last night.
5) Describing mental/emotional states or desires in the past
- Estaba feliz en mi cumpleaños. I was happy on my birthday.
- Quería mudarme a España. I wanted to move to Spain.
How do we conjugate in the imperfect tense?
There are two sets of imperfect endings: one for -ar verbs and another for -er/-ir verbs.
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect.
There are no verbs with stem-changes or spell-changes in the imperfect.
Regular imperfect endings:
The yo and él/ella/usted endings are all the same. Use the subject pronouns for clarification.
Also, don't forget to include the written accent: on the -ar nosotros ending and on all of the -er/-ir endings.
The irregular imperfect verbs:
Also, don't forget to include the written accent: on the -ar nosotros ending and on all of the -er/-ir endings.
The irregular imperfect verbs:
Below is a list of "trigger words" that indicate the use of the imperfect. These words mean "sometimes," "frequently," "always," "Mondays," etc. They imply continuing or habitual actions with no specific beginning or end.
- Copy these into your notes.
- These are the English definitions: sometimes; many times; occasionally; frequently; meanwhile; each (day, year, etc.); generally; every day; always; some times; every now and then; Mondays/Tuesdays (etc.)
Práctica: you will do the following exercises to practice the imperfect. Take screenshots and share them with me.
Imperfect fill-in-the-blank practice
Conjuguemos: Conjugate 30 verbs with at least 90% accuracy.
III. Mi comida favorita de niño/a
You will use the imperfect to describe the foods you liked to eat when you were younger.
You will create a presentation or a document in Google Drive where you will write 10 sentences and include pictures.
Organize your Weebly: Check your Weebly and make sure it has the following assignments. Make sure each assignment also has a title (especially the Vocaroo recordings).
Imperfect fill-in-the-blank practice
Conjuguemos: Conjugate 30 verbs with at least 90% accuracy.
III. Mi comida favorita de niño/a
You will use the imperfect to describe the foods you liked to eat when you were younger.
You will create a presentation or a document in Google Drive where you will write 10 sentences and include pictures.
- Write about your favorite foods from the ages of 2-12.
- Write a total of 10 sentences in the imperfect tense stating what you liked to eat or drink and how old you were.
- Include ten pictures of foods or drinks you liked.
- When you finish writing your sentences and adding pictures, you will embed the presentation to your Weebly under unit 5.
Organize your Weebly: Check your Weebly and make sure it has the following assignments. Make sure each assignment also has a title (especially the Vocaroo recordings).
- Unidad 1
- Todo sobre mí
- Unidad 2
- Amazing Race
- Tarjeta Postal
- Direct Objects Pronoun slideshow
- Emotions Board
- Un viaje en tren
- Unidad 3
- Mi Ropa Favorita
- Clothing Ad
- Revista de Moda
- Saber/Conocer slideshow
- Preterite slideshow
- En el mercado Vocaroo
- Unidad 4
- Mi rutina diaria ayer (writing)
- Vocaroo recording ("Abuelita...")
- Proyecto de la rutina diaria
- Optional: Día de los muertos
- Unidad 5
- Mi comida favorita project