Accidents of a verb
A verbal accident is defined as one of the changes of form that a verb can undergo. Spanish verbs have five accidents. Every verb changes according to the following:Person and number
Spanish verbs are conjugated in three persons, each having a singular and a plural form. In some varieties of Spanish, such as that of the Río de la Plata Region, a special form of the second person is used. Spanish is aFirst person
The grammatical first person refers to the speaker ("I"). The first person plural refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. * ''(Yo) soy'': "I am" * ''(Nosotros/Nosotras) somos'': "We are"; the feminine form ''nosotras'' is used only when referring to a group that is composed entirely of females; otherwise, ''nosotros'' is used.Second person
The grammatical second person refers to the addressee, the receiver of the communication ("you"). Spanish has different pronouns (and verb forms) for "you," depending on the relationship, familiar or formal, between speaker and addressee. Singular forms * ''(Tú) eres'' : "You are"; familiar singular; used when addressing someone who is of close affinity (a member of the family, a close friend, a child, a pet). It is also the form used to address aThird person
The grammatical third person refers to a person or thing other than the speaker or the addressee. Singular forms * ''(Él) es'': "He/it is"; used for a male person or a thing ofMood
Grammatical mood is one of a set of distinctive forms that are used to signal modality. In Spanish, every verb has forms in three moods. In older classifications there was a fourth mood, the conditional, that included the two conditional tenses (simple and compound), but nowadays those tenses are included in the indicative mood. * Indicative mood: The indicative mood, or evidential mood, is used for factual statements and positive beliefs. The Spanish conditional, although semantically expressing the dependency of one action or proposition on another, is generally considered indicative in mood, because, syntactically, it can appear in an independent clause. * Subjunctive mood: The subjunctive mood expresses an imagined, possible or desired action in the past, present, or future. * Imperative mood: The imperative mood expresses direct commands, requests, and prohibitions. In Spanish, using the imperative mood may sound blunt or even rude in some social settings, so it should be used with care.Tense
The tense of a verb indicates the time when the action occurs. It may be in the past, present, or future.Impersonal or non-finite forms of the verb
Infinitive
The infinitive is generally the form found in dictionaries. It corresponds to the English "base-form" or "dictionary form" and is usually indicated in English by "to _____" ("to sing," "to write," etc.). The ending of the infinitive is the basis of the names given in English to the three classes of Spanish verbs: * "''-ar''" verbs (''primera conjugación'' first conjugation" : Examples: ''hablar'' ("to speak"); ''cantar'' ("to sing"); ''bailar'' ("to dance") * "''-er''" verbs (''segunda conjugación'' second conjugation" : Examples: ''beber'' ("to drink"); ''leer'' ("to read"); ''comprender'' ("to understand") * "''-ir''" verbs (''tercera conjugación'' third conjugation" : Examples: ''vivir'' ("to live"); ''sentir'' ("to feel"); ''escribir'' ("to write")Gerund
Although in English grammar thePast participle
The past participle corresponds to the English ''-en'' or ''-ed'' form of the verb. It is created by adding the following endings to the verb stem: * ''-ar'' verbs: ''-ado'' : Examples: ''hablado'' ("spoken"); ''cantado'' ("sung"); ''bailado'' ("danced") * ''-er'' verbs: ''-ido'' : Examples: ''bebido'' ("drunk"); ''leído'' (requires accent mark; "read"); ''comprendido'' ("understood") * ''-ir'' verbs,: ''-ido'' : Examples: ''vivido'' ("lived"); ''sentido'' ("felt"); ''hervido'' ("boiled") The past participle, ending invariably in ''-o'', is used following theVoice
In grammar, the voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action (or state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its arguments ( subject,Verbal aspect
Verbal aspect marks whether an action is completed (perfect), a completed whole (perfective), or not yet completed (imperfective). * Perfect: In Spanish, verbs that are conjugated with ''haber'' ("to have one something) are in theConjugation
In this page, verb conjugation is illustrated with the verb ''hablar'' ("to talk," "to speak").The indicative
The indicative mood has five simple tenses, each of which has a corresponding perfect form. In older classifications, the conditional tenses were considered part of an independent ''conditional mood'', but now are grouped with the indicative. Continuous forms (such as ''estoy hablando'') are usually not considered part of the verbal paradigm, though they often appear in books addressed to English speakers who are learning Spanish. Modern grammatical studies count only the simple forms as tenses, and the other forms as products of tenses and aspects.Simple tenses (''tiempos simples'')
The simple tenses are the forms of the verb without the use of a modal or helping verb. The following are the simple tenses and their uses:= Present (''presente'')
= The present tense is formed with the endings shown below: Uses The present is used to indicate the following: * Punctual present: This expresses an action that is being done at the very moment. :''María habla con Juan por teléfono'' = "María is speaking with Juan on the telephone" * Continuous present or durative present: This expresses an action that is being done from the moment of speaking, extending into the past and future. :''Yo vivo en Madrid'' = "I live in Madrid" :''El museo exhibe las obras de Miró'' = "The museum is exhibiting works by Miró" * Habitual present: This expresses an action that is regularly and habitually being done. :''María va al campo todos los sábados'' = "María goes to the countryside every Saturday" * Gnomic present: This expresses general truths that are not bounded by time. :''Dos más dos son cuatro'' = "Two plus two equals four" :''Los planetas giran alrededor del sol'' = "The planets revolve around the sun" * Historical present: This expresses an action that happened in the past but is accepted as historical fact. :''Fernando Magallanes descubre las Filipinas el 15 de marzo de 1521'' = "Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines on March 15th, 1521" * An immediate future (= Imperfect (''pretérito imperfecto'')
= The imperfect is formed with the endings shown below. There are three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense: ''ser'', ''ir'' and ''ver'': Uses The imperfect is used to express the following: * Habitual action in the past: This use expresses an action done habitually in an indefinite past. It does not focus on when the action ended. :''Cuando era pequeño, hablaba español con mi abuela'' = "When I was young, I spoke Spanish with my grandmother" * An action interrupted by another action: This expresses an action that was in progress when another action took place. :''Tomábamos la cena cuando entró Eduardo'' = "We were having dinner when Eduardo came in" *General description of the past: This expresses a past setting, as, for example, the background for a narrative. :''Todo estaba tranquilo esa noche. Juan Eduardo miraba el partido de fútbol con su amigo Alejandro. Comían unas porciones de pizza.'' = "Everything was calm that night. Juan Eduardo was watching the football match with his friend Alejandro. They were eating some slices of pizza."= Preterite (''pretérito indefinido'')
= The preterite is formed with the endings shown below: Uses The preterite is used to express the following: * An action that was done in the past: This use expresses an action that is viewed as a completed event. It is often accompanied by adverbial expressions of time, such as ''ayer'', ''anteayer'', or ''la semana pasada''. :''Ayer, encontré la flor que tú me diste'' = "Yesterday, I found the flower that you gave me" * An action that interrupts another action: This expresses an event that happened (and was completed) while another action was taking place. :''Tomábamos la cena cuando entró Eduardo'' = "We were having dinner when Eduardo came in" *A general truth: This expresses a past relationship that is viewed as finished. :''Las Filipinas fueron parte del Imperio Español'' = "The Philippines were part of the Spanish Empire"= Future (''futuro simple'' or ''futuro imperfecto'')
= The future tense uses the entire infinitive as a stem. The following endings are attached to it: Uses The future is used to express the following: * A future action: This expresses an action that will be done in the future. :''El año próximo, visitaré Buenos Aires'' = "Next year, I shall/will visit Buenos Aires" * Uncertainty or probability: This expresses inference, rather than direct knowledge. :''¿Quién estará tocando a la puerta? — Será Fabio.'' = "Who (do you suppose) is knocking at the door? — It must be Fabio". (An analogous use of the future tense occurs in English, as in "That'll be Fabio".) * Command, prohibition, or obligation: :''No llevarás a ese hombre a mi casa'' = "Do not bring that man to my house" or, more accurately, "You will not bring that man to my house"; this form is also used to assert a command, prohibition, or obligation in English. The biblical= Simple conditional (''condicional simple'' or ''pospretérito'')
= As with the future, the conditional uses the entire infinitive as the stem. The following endings are attached to it: Uses The conditional is used to express the following: * Courtesy: Using this mood softens a request, making it more polite. :''Señor, ¿podría darme una copa de vino?'' = "Sir, could you give me a glass of wine?" * Polite expression of a desire (using ''querer''): :''Querría ver la película esta semana'' = "I would like to see the film this week" * In a ''then'' clause whose realization depends on a hypothetical ''if'' clause: :''Si yo fuera rico, viajaría a Sudamérica'' = "If I were rich, I would travel to South America" * Speculation about past events (the speaker's knowledge is indirect, unconfirmed, or approximating): :''¿Cuántas personas asistieron a la inauguración del Presidente? — No lo sé; habría unas 5.000'' = "How many people attended the President's inauguration? — I do not know; there must have been about 5,000") * A future action in relation to the past: This expresses future action that was imagined in the past. :''Cuando era pequeño, pensaba que me gustaría ser médico'' = "When I was young, I thought that I would like to be a doctor" * A suggestion: :''Yo que tú, lo olvidaría completamente'' = "If I were you, I would forget him completely"Compound tenses (''tiempos compuestos'')
All the compound tenses are formed with ''haber'' followed by the past participle of the main verb. ''Haber'' changes its form for person, number, and the like, while the past participle remains invariable, ending with ''-o'' regardless of the number or gender of the subject.= Present perfect (''pretérito perfecto'')
= In the present perfect, the present indicative of ''haber'' is used as an auxiliary, and it is followed by the past participle of the main verb. In most of Spanish America, this tense has virtually the same use as the English present perfect: *''Te he dicho mi opinión'' = "I have told you my opinion" In most of Spain the tense has an additional use—to express a past action or event that is contained in a still-ongoing period of time or that has effects in the present: *''Este mes ha llovido mucho, pero hoy hace buen día'' = "It has rained a lot this month, but today is a fine day" Occasionally ''tener'' and ''llevar'' are used with the past participle of a= Past perfect or pluperfect (''pretérito pluscuamperfecto'')
= In this tense, the imperfect form of ''haber'' is used as a modal, and it is followed by the past participle of the main verb: * ''(yo) había'' + past participle * ''(tú) habías'' + past participle * ''(él/ella/ello/usted) había'' + past participle * ''(nosotros/nosotras) habíamos'' + past participle * ''(vosotros/vosotras) habíais'' + past participle * ''(ellos/ellas/ustedes) habían'' + past participle Uses The past perfect is used to express the following: * A past action that occurred prior to another past action: :''Yo había esperado tres horas cuando él llegó'' = "I had waited for three hours when he arrived"= Past anterior (''pretérito anterior'')
= The past anterior combines the preterite form of ''haber'' with the past participle of the main verb. It is very rare in spoken Spanish, but it is sometimes used in formal written language, where it is almost entirely limited to subordinate (temporal, adverbial) clauses. Thus, it is usually introduced by temporal conjunctions such as ''cuando'', ''apenas'', or ''en cuanto''. It is used to express an action that ended immediately before another past action: * ''(yo) hube'' + past participle * ''(tú) hubiste'' + past participle * ''(él/ella/ello/usted) hubo'' + past participle * ''(nosotros/nosotras) hubimos'' + past participle * ''(vosotros/vosotras) hubisteis'' + past participle * ''(ellos/ellas/ustedes) hubieron'' + past participle For example: *''Cuando hubieron llegado todos, empezó la ceremonia'' = "When everyone had arrived, the ceremony began" *''Apenas María hubo terminado la canción, su padre entró'' = "As soon as Maria had finished the song, her father came in" It is often replaced by either the preterite or the pluperfect, with the same meaning: *''Apenas María terminó la canción, su padre entró'' *''Apenas María había terminado la canción, su padre entró''= Future perfect (''futuro compuesto'')
= The future perfect is formed with the future indicative of ''haber'' followed by the past participle of the main verb: * ''(yo) habré'' + past participle * ''(tú) habrás'' + past participle * ''(él/ella/ello/usted) habrá'' + past participle * ''(nosotros/nosotras) habremos'' + past participle * ''(vosotros/vosotras) habréis'' + past participle * ''(ellos/ellas/ustedes) habrán'' + past participle For example: *''Habré hablado'' = "I shall/will have spoken" It is used to indicate a future action that will be finished right before another action: *''Cuando yo llegue a la fiesta, ya se habrán marchado todos'' = "When I get to the party, everyone will already have left"= Conditional perfect or compound conditional (''condicional compuesto'' or ''antepospretérito'')
= The conditional perfect refers to a hypothetical past action. For example: *''Yo habría hablado si me hubieran/hubiesen dado la oportunidad'' = "I would have spoken if they had given me the opportunity to"The imperative
The imperative mood has three specific forms, corresponding to the pronouns ''tú'', ''vos'', and ''vosotros'' (''tú'' and ''vos'' are used in different regional dialects; ''vosotros'' only in Spain). These forms are used only in positive expressions, not negative ones. The subjunctive supplements the imperative in all other cases (negative expressions and the conjugations corresponding to the pronouns ''nosotros'', ''él/ella'', ''usted'', ''ellos/ellas'', and ''ustedes''). The imperative can also be expressed in three other ways: * Using the present or future indicative to form an emphatic command: ''Comerás la verdura'' ("You will eat the vegetables") * The first person plural imperative ("Let's...") can also be expressed by ''Vamos a'' + infinitive: ''¡Vamos a comer!'' * Indirect commands with ''que'': ''Que lo llame el secretario'' ("Have the secretary call him")Affirmative imperative (''imperativo positivo'')
The positive form of the imperative mood in regular verbs is formed by adding the following to the stem: The singular imperative ''tú'' coincides with the third-person singular of the indicative for all but a few irregular verbs. The plural ''vosotros'' is always the same as the infinitive, but with a final ''-d'' instead of an ''-r'' in the formal, written form; the informal spoken form is the same as the infinitive. The singular ''vos'' drops the ''-r'' of the infinitive, requiring a written accent to indicate the stress.Negative imperative (''imperativo negativo'')
For the negative imperative, the adverb ''no'' is placed before the verb, and the following endings are attached to the stem: Note that in the imperative, the affirmative second-person forms differ from their negative counterparts; this is the only case of a difference in conjugation between affirmative and negative in Spanish.=Emphasizing the subject
= If one wishes to place emphasis on the subject of a command, it is placed after the verbal word: * ''Hazlo tú'' = "You do it" * ''No lo diga usted'' = "Don't youExamples
= Positive command forms of the verb ''comer''
== Negative command forms of the verb ''comer''
== The pronominal verb ''comerse''
= Note that the= The verb ''ir''
= The pronominal verb ''irse'' is irregular in the second person plural normative form, because it does not drop the ''-d'' or the ''-r'': * ''¡idos! (vosotros)'': "Go away!" (plural for informal address, prescribed by the Real Academia Española but extremely uncommon) * ''¡iros! (vosotros)'': "Go away!" (common in Spain, recently admitted by the Real Academia EspañolaThe subjunctive
The subjunctive mood has a separate conjugation table with fewer tenses. It is used, almost exclusively in subordinate clauses, to express the speaker's opinion or judgment, such as doubts, possibilities, emotions, and events that may or may not occur.Simple tenses (''tiempos simples'')
= Present subjunctive (''presente de subjuntivo'')
= The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed with the endings shown below:= Imperfect subjunctive (''imperfecto de subjuntivo'')
= The imperfect subjunctive can be formed with either of two sets of endings: the "''-ra'' endings" or the "''-se'' endings", as shown below. In Spanish America, the ''-ra'' forms are virtually the only forms used, to the exclusion of the ''-se'' forms. In Spain, both sets of forms are used, but the ''-ra'' forms are predominant as well.Imperfect subjunctive, ''-ra'' forms
Imperfect subjunctive, ''-se'' forms
= Future subjunctive (''futuro (simple) de subjuntivo'')
= The future subjunctive is no longer used in modern language, except in legal language and some fixed expressions. The following endings are attached to the preterite stem: For example: *''Cuando hablaren...'' = "Whenever they might speak..."Compound tenses (''tiempos compuestos'')
In the subjunctive mood, the subjunctive forms of the verb ''haber'' are used with the past participle of the main verb.= Present perfect subjunctive (''pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo'')
= *''Cuando yo haya hablado...'' = "When I have spoken..."= Pluperfect subjunctive (''pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo'')
= *''Si yo hubiera hablado...'' or ''Si yo hubiese hablado...'' = "If I had spoken..."= Future perfect subjunctive (''futuro compuesto de subjuntivo'')
= Like the simple future subjunctive, this tense is no longer used in modern Spanish. *''Cuando yo hubiere hablado...'' = "When I shall have spoken..."Continuous tenses
In Spanish grammar, continuous tenses are not formally recognized as in English. Although the imperfect expresses a continuity compared to the perfect (e.g., ''te esperaba'' I was waiting for you", the continuity of an action is usually expressed by a verbalThe passive
"True" passive
The "true" passive is formed with ''ser'' + the past participle, which in this case behaves like a normal adjective. Thus: * ''Yo soy amado'' = "I asc.am loved" * ''Tú eras amada'' = "You''Se'' passive
In the third person, reflexive constructions are often used to express ideas that could also be expressed in the passive. In such constructions, the recipient of the action is said to do the action to itself. Thus: * ''Se habla español'' = "Spanish is spoken" (lit. "Spanish speaks itself") * ''Se me dio el libro'' = "The book was given to me" (lit. "The book gave itself to me") * ''Se perdieron los datos'' = "The data were lost" (lit. "The data lost themselves") * ''Se puede hacerIrregular verbs
A considerable number of verbs change the vowel ''e'' in the stem to the diphthong ''ie'', and the vowel ''o'' to ''ue''. This happens when the stem vowel receives the stress. These verbs are referred to as stem-changing verbs. Examples include ''pensar'' ("to think"; e.g., ''pienso'' I think", ''sentarse'' ("to sit"; e.g., ''me siento'' I sit", ''empezar'' ("to begin"; e.g., ''empiezo'' I begin", ''volver'' ("to return"; e.g., ''vuelvo'' I return", and ''acostarse'' ("to go to bed"; e.g., ''me acuesto'' I go to bed". Virtually all verbs of the third conjugation (''-ir''), if they have an ''-e-'' or ''-o-'' as the last vowel of their stem, undergo a vowel-raising change whereby ''e'' changes to ''i'' and ''o'' changes to ''u'', in some of their forms (for details, see Spanish irregular verbs). Examples include ''pedir'' ("to ask for"; e.g., ''pide'' he/she asks for", ''competir'' ("to compete"; e.g., ''compite'' he/she competes", and ''derretirse'' ("to melt"; e.g., ''se derrite'' it melts". The so-called I-go verbs add a medial ''-g-'' in the first-person singular present tense (making the ''Yo'' I"form end in ''-go''; e.g., ''tener'' to have"becomes ''tengo'' I have" ''venir'' to come"becomes ''vengo'' I come". The ''-g-'' is present in the present subjunctive of such verbs. These verbs are often irregular in other forms as well.Usage
Contrasting simple and continuous forms
There is no strict distinction between simple and continuous forms in Spanish as there is in English. In English, "I do" is one thing (a habit) and "I am doing" is another (current activity). In Spanish, ''hago'' can be either of the two, and ''estoy haciendo'' stresses the latter. Although not as strict as English, Spanish is stricter than French or German, which have no systematic distinction between the two concepts at all. This optionally continuous meaning that can be underlined by using the continuous form is a feature of the present and imperfect. The preterite never has this meaning, even in the continuous form, and the future has it only when it is in the continuous form. ;Present *''¿Qué haces?'' could be either "What do you do?" or "What are you doing?" *''¿Qué estás haciendo?'' is only "What are you doing?" ;Imperfect *''¿Qué hacías?'' could be either "What did you use to do?" or "What were you doing?" *''¿Qué estabas haciendo?'' is only "What were you doing?" ;Preterite *''¿Qué hiciste?'' is "What did you do?" *''¿Qué estuviste haciendo?'' is "What were you doing (all of that time)?" Note that since the preterite by nature refers to an event seen as having a beginning and an end, and not as a context, the use of the continuous form of the verb only adds a feeling for the length of time spent on the action. The future has two main forms in Spanish, the imperfect (compound) future and the simple one. The difference between them is one of aspect. The compound future is done with the conjugated ''ir'' (which means "to go," but may also mean "will" in this case) plus the infinitive and, sometimes, with a present progressive verb added as well. ;Future: * ''¿Qué vas a hacer?'' is "What are you going to do?" (implies that it will be done again, as in a routine) * ''¿Qué vas a estar haciendo?'' is "What are you going to be doing?" (does not necessarily imply that it will be done) *''¿Qué harás?'' is "What will you do?" (will be completed immediately, or done just once) *''¿Qué estarás haciendo?'' is "What will you be doing?"Contrasting the present and the future
Both the present and the future can express future actions, the latter more explicitly so. There are also expressions that convey the future. *''Mi padre llega mañana'' = "My father arrives tomorrow" *''Mi padre estará llegando mañana'' = "My father will be arriving tomorrow" *''Mi padre va a llegar mañana'' = "My father is going to arrive tomorrow" (future with ''ir'') *''Mi padre llegará mañana'' = "My father will arrive tomorrow" (future tense) *''Mi padre está a punto de llegar'' = "My father is about to arrive" (immediate future with ''estar a punto'') The future tense can also simply express guesses about the present and immediate future: *''¿Qué hora es?'' ''Serán las tres'' = "What time is it?" "It is about three (but I have not checked)" *''¿Quién llama a la puerta? Será José'' = "Who is at the door? It must be José" The same is applied to imperfect and conditional: *''¿Qué hora era?'' ''Serían las tres'' = "What time was it?" "It was about three (but I had not checked)" *''¿Quién llamaba a la puerta? Sería José'' = "Who was at the door? It must have been José" Studies have shown that Spanish-speaking children learn this use of the future tense before they learn to use it to express future events (the English future with "will" can also sometimes be used with this meaning). The other constructions detailed above are used instead. Indeed, in some areas, such as Argentina and Uruguay, speakers hardly use the future tense to refer to the future. The future tense of the subjunctive mood is also obsolete in practice. As of today, it is only found in legal documents and the like. In other contexts, the present subjunctive form always replaces it.Contrasting the preterite and the imperfect
Fundamental meanings of the preterite and the imperfect
Spanish has two fundamental past tenses, the preterite and the imperfect. Strictly speaking, the difference between them is one not of tense but ofComparison with English usage
The English simple past can express either of these concepts. However, there are devices that allow us to be more specific. Consider, for example, the phrase "the sun shone" in the following contexts: #"The sun shone through his window; John knew that it was going to be a fine day." #"The sun was shining through his window; John knew that it was going to be a fine day." #"The sun shone through his window back in those days." #"The sun used to shine through his window back in those days." #"The sun shone through his window the moment that John pulled back the curtain." In the first two, it is clear that the shining refers to the background to the events that are about to unfold in the story. It is talking about what ''was happening''. One has a choice between making this explicit with the past continuous, as in (2), or using the simple past and allowing the context to make it clear what is intended, as in (1). In Spanish, these would be in the imperfect, optionally in the imperfect continuous. In (3) and (4), it is clear that the shining refers to a regular, general, habitual event. It is talking about what ''used to happen''. One has a choice between making this explicit with the expression "used to," as in (4), or using the simple past and allowing the context to make it clear what we mean, as in (3). In Spanish, these would be in the imperfect, optionally with the auxiliary verb ''soler''. In (5), only the simple past is possible. It is talking about a single event presented as occurring at a specific point in time (the moment John pulled back the curtain). The action starts and ends with this sentence. In Spanish, this would be in the preterite (or alternatively in the perfect, if the event has only just happened).Further examples
*''Cuando tenía quince años, me atropelló un coche'' = "When I was fifteen years old, a car ran over me" The imperfect is used for "was" in Spanish because it forms the background to the specific event expressed by "ran over", which is in the preterite. *''Mientras cruzaba/estaba cruzando la calle, me atropelló un coche'' = "While I crossed/was crossing the road, a car ran over me" In both languages, the continuous form for action in progress is optional, but Spanish requires the verb in either case to be in the imperfect, because it is the background to the specific event expressed by "ran over", in the preterite. *''Siempre tenía cuidado cuando cruzaba la calle'' = "I was always/always used to be careful when I crossed/used to cross the road" The imperfect is used for both verbs since they refer to habits in the past. Either verb could optionally use the expression "used to" in English. *''Me bañé'' = "I took a bath" The preterite is used if this refers to a single action or event—that is, the person took a bath last night. *''Me bañaba'' = "I took baths" The imperfect is used if this refers to any sort of habitual action—that is, the person took a bath every morning. Optionally, ''solía bañarme'' can specifically express "I used to take baths". *''Tuvo una hija'' = "She had a daughter" The preterite is used if this refers to an event—here, a birth. *''Tenía una hija'' = "She had a/one daughter" The imperfect is used if this refers to the number of children by a certain point, as in "She had one daughter when I met her ten years ago; she may have more now". A description. Note that when describing the life of someone who is now dead, the distinction between the two tenses blurs. One might describe the person's life saying ''tenía una hija'', but ''tuvo una hija'' is very common because the person's whole life is viewed as a whole, with a beginning and an end. The same goes for ''vivía/vivió en...'' "he lived in...". Perhaps the verb that English speakers find most difficult to translate properly is "to be" in the past tense ("was"). Apart from the choice between the verbs ''ser'' and ''estar'' (see below), it is often very hard for English speakers to distinguish between contextual and narrative uses. *''Alguien cogió mis CD. ¿Quién fue?'' = "Someone took my CDs. Who was it?" Here the preterite is used because it is an event. A good clue is the tense in which ''cogió'' is. *''Había una persona que miraba los CD. ¿Quién era?'' = "There was a person who was looking at the CDs. Who was it?" Here the imperfect is used because it is a description (the start and end of the action is not presented; it is something that was in progress at a certain time). Again, a good clue is the tense of the other verbs.Contrasting the preterite and the perfect
The preterite and the perfect are distinguished in a similar way as the equivalent English tenses. Generally, whenever the present perfect ("I have done") is used in English, the perfect is also used in Spanish. In addition, there are cases in which English uses a simple past ("I did") but Spanish requires a perfect. In the remaining cases, both languages use a simple past. As in English, the perfect expresses past actions that have some link to the present. The preterite expresses past actions as being past, complete and done with. In both languages, there are dialectal variations.Frame of reference includes the present: perfect
If it is implicitly or explicitly communicated that theFrame of reference superficially includes the present: perfect
Sometimes expressions like "today", "this year", and "this week" are used to express the idea these periods are over. This requires the simple past in English. For example, in December one might speak of the year in the simple past because we are assuming that all of that year's important events have occurred and one can talk as though it were over. Other expressions—such as "this weekend," if today is Monday—refer to a period which is definitely over; the word "this" just distinguishes it from other weekends. There is a tendency in Spanish to use the perfect even for this type of time reference, even though the preterite is possible and seems more logical. *''Este fin de semana hemos ido al zoo'' = "This weekend we went to the zoo" *''Hoy he tenido una jornada muy aburrida'' = "Today I had a very boring day at work"Consequences continue into the present: perfect
As in English, the perfect is used when the consequences of an event are referred to. *''Alguien ha roto esta ventana'' = "Someone has broken this window" (the window is currently in a broken state) *''Nadie me ha dicho qué pasó aquel día'' = "Nobody has told me what happened that day" (therefore, I still do not know) These same sentences in the preterite would purely refer to the past actions, without any implication that they have repercussions now. In English, this type of perfect is not possible if a precise time frame is added or even implied. One cannot say "I have been born in 1978," because the date requires "I was born," despite the fact there is arguably a present consequence in the fact that the person is still alive. Spanish sporadically uses the perfect in these cases. *''He nacido en 1978'' (usually ''Nací en 1978'') = "I was born in 1978" *''Me he criado en Madrid'' (usually ''Me crié en Madrid'') = "I grew up in Madrid"The event itself continues into the present: perfect or present
If the event itself has been happening recently and is also happening right now or expected to continue happening soon, then the preterite is impossible in both languages. English requires the perfect, or better yet the perfect continuous. Spanish requires the perfect, or better yet the present simple: *''Últimamente ha llovido mucho'' / ''Últimamente llueve mucho'' = "It has rained / It has been raining a lot recently" This is the only use of the perfect that is common in colloquial speech across Latin America.Dialectal variation
In the Canary Islands and across Latin America, there is a colloquial tendency to replace most uses of the perfect with the preterite. This use varies according to region, register, and education. * ''¿Y vos alguna vez estuviste allá?'' = ''¿Y tú alguna vez has estado allí?'' = "And have you ever been there?" The one use of the perfect that does seem to be normal in Latin America is the perfect for actions that continue into the present (not just the time frame, but the action itself). Therefore, "I have read a lot in my life" and "I read a lot this morning" would both be expressed with ''leí'' instead of ''he leído'', but "I have been reading" is expressed by ''he leído''. A less standard use of the perfect is found in Ecuador and Colombia. It is used with present or occasionally even future meaning. For example,Contrasting the subjunctive and the imperative
The subjunctive mood expresses wishes and hypothetical events. It is often employed together with a conditional verb: *''Desearía que estuvieses aquí.'' = "I wish that you were here." *''Me alegraría mucho si volvieras mañana.'' = "I would be very glad if you came back tomorrow." The imperative mood shows commands given to the hearer (the second person). There is no imperative form in the third person, so the subjunctive is used. The expression takes the form of a command or wish directed at the hearer, but referring to the third person. The difference between a command and a wish is subtle, mostly conveyed by the absence of a wishing verb: *''Que venga el gerente.'' = "Let the manager come.", "Have the manager come." *''Que se cierren las puertas.'' = "Let the doors be closed.", "Have the doors closed." With a verb that expresses wishing, the above sentences become plain subjunctive instead of direct commands: *''Deseo que venga el gerente.'' = "I wish for the manager to come." *''Quiero que se cierren las puertas.'' = "I want the doors (to be) closed."Contrasting the present and the future subjunctive
The future tense of the subjunctive is found mostly in old literature orContrasting the preterite and the past anterior
The past anterior is rare nowadays and restricted to formal use. It expresses a very fine nuance: the fact that an action occurs just after another (had) occurred, with words such as ''cuando'', ''nada más'', and ''en cuanto'' ("when", "no sooner", "as soon as"). In English, one must use either the simple past or the past perfect; Spanish has something specific between the two. *''En cuanto el delincuente hubo salido del cuarto, la víctima se echó a llorar'' = "As soon as the criminal (had) left the room, the victim burst into tears" The use of ''hubo salido'' shows that the second action happened immediately after the first. ''Salió'' might imply that it happened at the same time, and ''había salido'' might imply it happened some time after. However, colloquial Spanish has lost this tense and the corresponding nuance, and the preterite must be used instead in all but the most formal of writing.Contrasting ''ser'' and ''estar''
The differences between ''ser'' and ''estar'' are considered one of the most difficult concepts for non-native speakers. Both ''ser'' and ''estar'' translate intoContrasting ''haber'' and ''tener''
The verbs ''haber'' and ''tener'' are easily distinguished, but they may pose a problem for learners of Spanish who speak other Romance languages (where the cognates of ''haber'' and ''tener'' are used differently), for English speakers (where "have" is used as a verb and as an auxiliary), and others. ''Haber'' derives from Latin ''habeō'', with the basic meaning of "to have". ''Tener'' derives from Latin ''teneō'', with the basic meaning of "to hold", "to keep". As ''habeō'' began to degrade and become reduced to just ambiguous monosyllables in the present tense, the Iberian Romance languages (Spanish, Gallician-Portuguese, and Catalan) restricted its use and started to use ''teneō'' as the ordinary verb expressing having and possession.''Haber'': expressing existence
''Haber'' can be used as an impersonal verb expressing existence ("there is/are"). When used impersonally, ''haber'' has a special present-tense form: ''hay'' instead of ''ha''. The ''y'' is presumed to be a fossilized form of the mediaeval Castilian''Haber'': impersonal obligation
The phrase ''haber que'' (in the third person singular and followed by a subordinated construction with the verb in the infinitive) carries the meaning of necessity or obligation without specifying an agent. It is translatable as "it is necessary", but a paraphrase is generally preferable in translation. Note that the present-tense form is ''hay''. *''Hay que abrir esa puerta.'' = "That door needs opening", "We have to open that door". *''Habrá que abrir esa puerta.'' = "That door will need opening", "We are going to have to open that door". *''Aunque haya que abrir esa puerta.'' = "Even if that door needs to be opened". This construction is comparable to French ''il faut'' and Catalan ''cal''. ''Hay que'' always goes with the infinitive.''Haber'': personal obligation
A separate construction is ''haber de'' + infinitive. It is not impersonal. It tends to express a certain nuance of obligation and a certain nuance of future tense, much like the expression "to be to". It is also often used similarly to ''tener que'' and ''deber'' ("must", "ought to"). Note that the third personal singular of the present tense is ''ha''. *''Mañana he de dar una charla ante la Universidad'' = "Tomorrow I am to give a speech before the University". *''Ha de comer más verduras'' = "She/he ought to eat more vegetables".''Haber'': forming the perfect
''Haber'' is also used as an auxiliary to form the perfect, as shown elsewhere. Spanish uses only ''haber'' for this, unlike French and Italian, which use the corresponding cognates of ''haber'' for most verbs, but cognates of ''ser'' ("to be") for certain others. *''Ella se ha ido al mercado'' = "She has gone to the market" *''Ellas se han ido de paseo'' = "They have gone on a walk" *''¿Habéis fregado los platos?'' = "Have you (all) done the washing-up?"''Tener''
''Tener'' is a verb with the basic meaning of "to have", in its essential sense of "to possess", "to hold", "to own". As in English, it can also express obligation (''tener que'' + infinitive). It also appears in a number of phrases that show emotion or physical states, expressed by nouns, which in English tend to be expressed by "to be" and an adjective. *''Mi hijo tiene una casa nueva'' = "My son has a new house" *''Tenemos que hablar'' = "We have to talk" *''Tengo hambre'' = "I am hungry" (lit. "I have hunger") There are numerous phrases like ''tener hambre'' that are not literally translated in English, such as:Spanish Idioms of the Form 'Tener' + Noun – Learn Spanish LanguageNegation
Verbs are negated by putting ''no'' before the verb. Other negative words can either replace this ''no'' or occur after the verb: *''Hablo español'' = "I speak Spanish" *''No hablo español'' = "I do not speak Spanish" *''Nunca hablo español'' = "I never speak Spanish" *''No hablo nunca español'' = "I do not ever speak Spanish"Expressing movement
Spanish verbs describing motion tend to emphasize direction instead of manner of motion. According to the pertinent classification, this makes Spanish a verb-framed language. This contrasts with English, where verbs tend to emphasize manner, and the direction of motion is left to helper particles,Verbal nouns
Spanish verbal nouns (e.g. "running", "coming", "thinking" in English) are identical in form to the infinitive of the verb from which they are derived, and their gender is masculine. They are generally used with the definite article, and enclitic pronouns attach to them as they would to a normal infinitive. Thus: * ''el comer'' = "eating" * ''el correr'' = "running" * ''el no esperar'' = "not waiting" * ''el darte un libro'' = "giving you a book" * ''el guardárselos'' = "saving them for him/her/you/them"References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish verbs