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Year 10 - Spanish

Dos idiomas, dos culturas - los Nuyoricans: imperfect for habitual actions

People and lifestyle: cuestiones de identidad

Unit Summary

This unit introduces singular and plural forms of 'haber' with an -ar verb stem and '-ado', and an -er or -ir verb stem with '-ido'. Pupils learn some irregular past participles. The unit introduces 'hay que', 'se puede', 'se necesita', 'se debe', and the passive 'se' with the third person.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to distinguish between the present and imperfect tenses in the life of a Nuyorican.

Key Notes

  • The imperfect tense is used to talk about habitual actions in the past or to describe how things were in the past.
  • The regular imperfect endings for singular -ar verbs are -aba, -abas and -aba.
  • The regular imperfect endings for singular -er/-ir verbs are -ía, -ías and -ía.
  • 'Ser' is irregular in the imperfect tense. Use 'era' or 'eras' to mean was/were + trait.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • imperfect tense: used to talk about habitual actions in the past or to describe how things were in the past
  • era: part of 'ser' in the imperfect tense meaning 'I, she, he, it was' or 'I, she, he, it used to be'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The only way of saying 'I played' in Spanish is 'jugué'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

The imperfect tense is used to talk about habitual actions in the past or to describe how things were in the past. The regular imperfect endings for singular -ar verbs are -aba, -abas and -aba.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'imperfect tense'

used to talk about habitual actions in the past or to describe how things were in the past. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: The only way of saying 'I played' in Spanish is 'jugué'. Correction: 'I played' could be translated as 'jugué' or 'jugaba'. The preterite verb 'jugué' implies a single, completed action in the past, whereas the imperfect verb 'jugaba' implies a habitual action in the past.

More Lessons In This Unit

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