A2.13 - At the bank

Temporal expressions: "Hace un rato", "Esta semana", "Este mes", etc...

Expresiones temporales: "Hace un rato", "Esta semana", "Este mes",etc...

Expresiones temporales que indican cuándo ocurre una acción, su duración y cuánto tiempo ha pasado desde que ha sucedido.

(Time expressions that indicate when an action happens, its duration, and how much time has passed since it happened.)

What these time expressions signal

In this unit, the key decision is: Is the time period still “open” (not finished yet), or is it a recent completed moment?

  • Open period (still ongoing): esta semana, este mes → use pretérito perfecto.
  • Recent completed moment: hace + time (e.g., hace un rato) → use pretérito perfecto.
  • Today: hoy often behaves like an open period → typically pretérito perfecto in this lesson.

The core pattern (Spanish vs. English logic)

Spanish often chooses pretérito perfecto when you connect the action to the present time frame (today/this week/this month).

Time expression Idea Typical verb choice (here)
esta semana The week is not over yet he/has/ha + participle
este mes The month is not over yet he/has/ha + participle
hoy Today is still “open” he/has/ha + participle
hace un rato Recently finished he/has/ha + participle

How to build the pretérito perfecto (quick self-check)

  1. Choose haber (present): he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han
  2. Add the past participle (participio):
    • -ar → -ado: comprar → comprado, añadir → añadido
    • -er / -ir → -ido: recibir → recibido, abrir → abierto (irregular)

Mini-check: If you see he/has/ha, the next verb must be a participle, not present tense.

  • Hace un rato he transfiero… → Hace un rato he transferido…
  • Este mes he abro… → Este mes he abierto…

Where to place the time expression

Both positions are common. Choose what sounds natural or what you want to emphasize.

  • At the start (sets the scene): Esta semana, he abierto mi primera cuenta bancaria.
  • At the end (adds timing as extra info): He recibido el dinero hace un rato.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

  • Don’t add “este/esta” to “hoy”:
    • Correct: Hoy he añadido productos al carrito.
    • Incorrect: Este hoy he añadido…
  • Don’t translate English prepositions like “in/on”:
    • Correct: Este mes he recibido la nueva tarjeta.
    • Incorrect: En este mes… (sounds unnatural here)
  • Remember: “hace” + time ≠ “for”

    Hace un rato means “a little while ago” (a point in the recent past), not duration.

Fast decision guide (use this before speaking)

  1. Ask: Is the period still ongoing?
    • Yes → esta semana / este mes / hoy + pretérito perfecto.
  2. Ask: Did it happen recently and it’s finished?
    • Yes → hace + time + pretérito perfecto.

Model sentences (bank + online shopping):

  • Esta semana he abierto una cuenta bancaria.
  • Hoy he revisado el saldo en la app.
  • Este mes he comprado mucho online.
  • He retirado cien euros hace un rato.
  1. "Hace" + amount of time is used for an action that finished recently.
  2. "Esta/Este" + time is used for a period that is still ongoing.
  3. Time expressions are used with verbs in the present perfect.
Expresión temporal (Time expression)Tiempo verbal (Verb tense)Ejemplo (Example)
Hace un rato (A little while ago)Pretérito perfecto (Present perfect)He recibido el dinero hace un rato. (I have received the money a little while ago.)
Esta semana (This week)Pretérito perfecto (Present perfect)Esta semana, he abierto mi primera cuenta bancaria.  (This week, I have opened my first bank account. )
Hoy (Today)Pretérito perfecto (Present perfect)Hoy he añadido productos al carrito. (Today I have added products to the cart.)
Este mes (This month)Pretérito perfecto (Present perfect)Este mes he comprado mucho online. (This month I have bought a lot online.)

Exceptions!

  1. To talk about something that is happening today, you can also use "hoy". In this case, we don’t include "este/-a".

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. He abierto una cuenta bancaria _____.

I have opened a bank account _____.

2. He retirado cien euros _____.

I have withdrawn one hundred euros _____.

3. _____, he recibido la nueva tarjeta de crédito.

_____, I have received the new credit card.

4. _____, he añadido un producto a la cesta de la compra.

_____, I have added a product to the shopping cart.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence.

1.
After «he» a participle («transferido») must go, not the present («transfiero»).
With «hace un rato» the typical combination with pretérito perfecto is practiced; here pretérito indefinido appears.
2.
«Este mes» suggests pretérito perfecto (ongoing period); here indefinido is used, which is the incorrect form for the exercise.
After «he» a participle («abierto») must go, not the present («abro»).

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using the indicated temporal expression and the present perfect (example: “Ayer compré” → “Hoy he comprado”).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (Este mes) Compro mucho online. (Período todavía vigente.)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Este mes he comprado mucho online.
    (This month I have bought a lot online.)
  2. Hint Hint (Esta semana) Abro mi primera cuenta bancaria. (Período todavía vigente.)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Esta semana he abierto mi primera cuenta bancaria.
    (This week I have opened my first bank account.)
  3. Hint Hint (Hoy) Añado productos al carrito. (Ahora, en el día de hoy.)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Hoy he añadido productos al carrito.
    (Today I have added products to the cart.)
  4. Hint Hint (Hace un rato) Recibo una transferencia del banco. (Acción terminada recientemente.)
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    He recibido una transferencia del banco hace un rato.
    (I received a bank transfer a little while ago.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: In pairs, ask and answer about recent payments and withdrawals.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
En el banco, revisas los movimientos y compras que has hecho esta semana.
(At the bank, you check the transactions and purchases you have made this week.)
Discuss
  • ¿Qué has hecho hoy con tu cuenta bancaria? (What have you done today with your bank account?)
  • ¿Qué pagos has hecho esta semana: tarjeta, efectivo o pago electrónico? ¿Por qué? (What payments have you made this week: card, cash, or electronic payment? Why?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Hace un rato he recibido un pago electrónico. (A little while ago I received an electronic payment.)
  • Esta semana he abierto una cuenta bancaria. (This week I opened a bank account.)
  • Hoy he retirado billetes y monedas en efectivo. (Today I withdrew bills and coins in cash.)
Use in conversation
  • Hace un rato + he... (A little while ago + I have...)
  • Esta semana/Este mes + he... (This week/This month + I have...)
  • Hoy + he... (Today + I have...)

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