The tiempos-verbales tag has no wiki summary.
17
votes
1answer
496 views
Preterit of ser and ir
Español
Pretérito de ser:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Pretérito de ir:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
¿Cómo han evolucionado los verbos "ser" e "ir" para tener ...
9
votes
3answers
275 views
“De donde fue” instead of “De donde estaba”
In Nicaragua, addresses are usually given as directions from a landmark, for example:
From the stadium, go 5 blocks south, then 3 blocks east
Sometimes the landmark is a place that used to be ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
“ir a «infinitive»” vs. future tense
There are two ways to indicate a future action, ir a «infinitive» and the future tense. How do I decide which to use when? Is one form more common when spoken or in writing? Is there a regional ...
8
votes
3answers
394 views
Words that mean different things in the preterite
There are some verbs that seem to have quite distinct meanings in the preterite tense. I don't know whether they also seem to change meanings to native speakers or if it just seems completely natural ...
7
votes
1answer
490 views
“Te va (a) encantar” - is “a” necessary?
Is the "a" necessary when using "ir a" to convey future meaning?
Google gives 17m results for "te va a encantar" but also 1.5m for "te va encantar". Does this rule vary according to formality?
7
votes
2answers
232 views
What is the future subjunctive and how was it used?
I've heard that there used to be another tense in Spanish called the "future-subjunctive"
¡A donde fueres, haz lo que vieres!
I've heard the above means in a literal sense, "to where you will ...
5
votes
3answers
205 views
What is the imperative without pronoun of 'Saber'? Why?
Okay so I suddenly have no idea how to say the imperative of saber.
This was my reasoning until arriving to a comical dead end:
Ir = Ve
Comer = Come
Ser = Sé
Saber = Se? Sabé? ...
5
votes
1answer
238 views
When should you use the preterite or the imperfect to express past time?
There are two ways to express simple past time actions and conditions in Spanish. One is the preterite,
Comí tacos. (I ate tacos.)
Besé a una chica. (I kissed a girl.)
and the other is the ...
5
votes
2answers
91 views
¿Es válido decir “eso pasó ahorita”?
En Medellín (Colombia) se dice mucho "eso pasó ahorita", pero parecería ser que "ahora" o "ahorita" es más de futuro.
Ejemplo:
Ellos vienen ahora.
o
Ellos llegaron ahorita.
No suena bien.
...
4
votes
3answers
129 views
What am I doing when I use the subjunctive?
If we limit our view to the present tense, how can I fill in the blanks succinctly?
When I use the indicative mood, I am indicating that something
happens.
When I use the subjunctive mood, ...
4
votes
1answer
857 views
Does indirect speech in Spanish require changes in tense, mood, etc?
In German you have to use different moods, in English different tenses for verbs to mark indirect speech (speech where you are saying what was said or expressed):
He said that he had painted the ...
3
votes
2answers
91 views
“Something happened” while “something else was going on”
¿Cuál es correcto?
No ví nada mientras estaba corriendo.
o
No ví nada mientras corrí.
¿Ambos son incorrectos?
Lo siento por el título.
3
votes
2answers
187 views
What is the difference between parece and pareciera?
What is the difference between parece que and pareciera que? How are both normally translated? What tenses can be used after pareciera que, and in general how is pareciera used?
2
votes
2answers
296 views
Spanish names for preterite and imperfect tenses
In school, I learned that the Spanish past tenses were called preterite and imperfect in English, and preterito and imperfecto in Spanish. However, in talking to native speakers I've run across other ...
2
votes
1answer
109 views
Should I use preterit or imperfect to express something that used to happen repeatedly?
For example, if I wanted to say "They used to travel every day", which would I use:
Ellos viajaron cada día.
Ellos viajaban cada día.
2
votes
1answer
94 views
Translating “wait until” or “wait for”
How do you translate phrases involving wait until or wait for:
Wait until I call you before you leave for the restaurant.
Wait for me to come home before you buy the tickets.
You should ...
1
vote
1answer
387 views
Translating “how is …?” and “how was …?”
What are the options for translating the phrase "how is" or "how was," as in:
How's the steak?
How is your day so far?
How is the traffic today?
and
How was your vacation?
How was the meeting?
...
