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.)
- "Hace" + amount of time is used for an action that finished recently.
- "Esta/Este" + period of time is used for a period that is still ongoing.
- Time expressions are used together with verbs in the present perfect tense.
| 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!
- To talk about something that is happening today, you can also use "hoy". In this case we do not include "este/-a".
Exercise 1: Multiple choice
Instruction: Choose the correct answer
1. ______ he enviado la confirmación para abrir tu cuenta bancaria.
______ I sent the confirmation to open your bank account.)2. ______ he retirado dinero del cajero automático tres veces.
______ I have withdrawn cash from the ATM three times.)3. ______ he añadido dos productos más a la cesta de la compra antes de pagar.
______ I added two more items to the shopping cart before paying.)4. ______ he pagado todas las facturas con tarjeta de crédito, no en efectivo.
______ I have paid all the bills by credit card, not in cash.)Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence according to the rules for using the time expressions "Hace un rato", "Esta semana", "Este mes" with the present perfect tense.
Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases
Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using the given time expressions (a little while ago / today / this week / this month) and the present perfect, keeping the same meaning.
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⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleHe recibido el dinero hace un rato.(I received the money a little while ago.)
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⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleEsta semana he abierto mi primera cuenta bancaria.(This week I have opened my first bank account.)
-
⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleEste mes he comprado muchos productos online.(This month I have bought many products online.)
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⇒ _______________________________________________ ExampleHoy has añadido los documentos al correo.(Today you have added the documents to the mail.)
Exercise 4: Grammar in action
Instruction: In pairs, play customer and employee: ask and answer questions about transactions.
- ¿Qué operaciones has hecho hoy en el banco o en el cajero automático? (What transactions have you done today at the bank or at the ATM?)
- ¿Qué pagos electrónicos has hecho esta semana o este mes? Da detalles sencillos. (What electronic payments have you made this week or this month? Give simple details.)
- Hace un rato he retirado dinero del cajero automático. (A little while ago I withdrew cash from the ATM.)
- Esta semana he abierto una cuenta bancaria. (This week I opened a bank account.)
- Hoy he hecho un pago electrónico de la cesta de compras. (Today I made an electronic payment for my shopping.)
- Hace + cantidad de tiempo + pretérito perfecto (Hace + amount of time + pretérito perfecto)
- Esta/Este + período de tiempo + pretérito perfecto (Esta/Este + period of time + pretérito perfecto)
- Hoy + pretérito perfecto (Hoy + pretérito perfecto)