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Master the Spanish past tenses imperfecto and indefinido with essential verbs like emitir (to broadcast), escuchar (to listen), and comunicar (to communicate), learning their uses in descriptions, habits, and completed actions.
  1. Use the imperfecto for ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
  2. Use the indefinido for actions completed in the past.
  3. For regular verbs ending in -ar, the imperfecto adds the endings: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
  4. For regular verbs ending in -er/-ir, the imperfecto adds the endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
  5. For regular verbs ending in -ar, the indefinido is conjugated with the endings: é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
  6. For regular verbs ending in -er/-ir, the indefinido is conjugated with the endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron .
Tiempo verbal pasadoUsoEjemplo
ImperfectoDescripciones/rutinasEsta emisora era mi favorita porque emitía programas muy entretenidos. (This station was my favourite because it used to broadcast very entertaining programmes.)
Acciones en progreso/habitualesAntes escuchaba la radio mientras hacía la tarea. (Before I used to listen to the radio while doing my homework.)
Estado/condición/tiempoLas radios antiguas eran muy grandes y pesadas. (Old radios were very big and heavy.)
IndefinidoAcciones completadasEl locutor comunicó una noticia importante ayer durante el podcast. (The announcer communicated an important piece of news yesterday during the podcast.)
Eventos específicos/expresiones de tiempoEl canal emitió una entrevista exclusiva el sábado pasado. (The channel broadcast an exclusive interview last Saturday.)
Acciones que interrumpen otrasEstaba escuchando mi episodio favorito cuando mi hermano llegó a casa. (I was listening to my favourite episode when my brother arrived home.)

Exercise 1: Imperfecto e indefinido: tiempos del pasado

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

escuché, comunicó, escuchábamos, Eran, emitió, comunicaba, fue, emitía

1. Emitir:
La emisora ... música clásica todos los días.
(The station used to broadcast classical music every day.)
2. Ser:
... las cinco cuando comenzaron a emitir el programa.
(It was five o'clock when they started broadcasting the programme.)
3. Ser:
El año pasado este audiolibro ... mi favorito.
(Last year this audiobook was my favourite.)
4. Comunicar:
El locutor ... la noticia del premio ayer.
(The announcer communicated the news of the award yesterday.)
5. Escuchar:
Siempre ... la radio por la mañana juntos.
(We always used to listen to the radio together in the morning.)
6. Escuchar:
El año pasado yo ... una entrevista muy entretenida.
(Last year I listened to a very entertaining interview.)
7. Comunicar:
Antes el podcast ... las noticias todos los domingos.
(Before, the podcast used to broadcast the news every Sunday.)
8. Emitir:
El canal ... un anuncio importante anoche.
(The channel aired an important announcement last night.)

Overview of Past Tenses: Imperfecto and Indefinido

This lesson focuses on two fundamental past tenses in Spanish: the imperfecto and the indefinido. These tenses are essential for narrating events, describing past habits, and expressing states in various past contexts. Mastery of these tenses allows learners to communicate with precision about past actions and settings.

Uses of the Imperfecto

  • Descriptions and routines: Used to describe scenes, people, or repeated actions in the past. Example: "Esta emisora era mi favorita porque emitía programas muy entretenidos."
  • Ongoing or habitual actions: Actions that were in progress or that used to happen regularly. Example: "Antes escuchaba la radio mientras hacía la tarea."
  • States, conditions, or weather: Background information like physical conditions or weather in the past. Example: "Las radios antiguas eran muy grandes y pesadas."

Uses of the Indefinido

  • Completed actions: Actions that started and finished at a definite time in the past. Example: "El locutor comunicó una noticia importante ayer durante el podcast."
  • Specific events and time expressions: Events with clear time references. Example: "El canal emitió una entrevista exclusiva el sábado pasado."
  • Actions interrupting others: When one action interrupts another ongoing action. Example: "Estaba escuchando mi episodio favorito cuando mi hermano llegó a casa."

Conjugation Patterns

The following are the regular verb endings for each tense:

  • Imperfecto:
    For verbs ending in -ar: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban
    For verbs ending in -er and -ir: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían
  • Indefinido:
    For verbs ending in -ar: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron
    For verbs ending in -er and -ir: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron

Important Notes on Language Differences and Useful Phrases

Unlike English, Spanish differentiates between these two past tenses to express nuances in how actions and events relate to time and duration. While English may use simple past for all these cases, Spanish requires choosing between imperfecto for ongoing or habitual past contexts and indefinido for completed events.

Some useful Spanish phrases illustrating the tenses include:
Imperfecto: "Cuando era niño, jugaba en el parque todos los días." (When I was a child, I used to play in the park every day.)
Indefinido: "Ayer fui al supermercado." (Yesterday I went to the supermarket.)

Understanding these distinctions will improve your ability to describe past experiences naturally and clearly in Spanish.

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