My time at school
Mi tiempo en la escuela
- Learn about the country's education system.
- Talk about your time at school and childhood memories.
- The imperfect past tense or the simple past tense?
Explore how to describe your school experiences using the pretérito imperfecto and pretérito indefinido. Learn key verbs like venir (to come), aprobar (to pass), and suspender (to fail) in past contexts.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (22) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La escuela primaria
The primary school
2
Hacer errores
Making mistakes
3
Echar de menos
To miss
4
Enseñar
To teach
5
El bachillerato
The sixth form
Ejercicio 2: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Describe el camino educativo de Eva. (Describe the education path of Eva.)
- Describe dónde estudiaste en el instituto. (Describe where you studied at high school.)
- Habla sobre lo que estudiaste en el colegio. (Talk about what you studied at school.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Durante los primeros años Eva estuvo en la escuela primaria. For the first years Eva was in primary school. |
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Luego, ella estaba en la escuela secundaria. Siempre fue una estudiante trabajadora con buenas calificaciones. Then she was in secondary school. She always was a hard-working student with good grades. |
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Terminó el instituto cuando tenía 18 años. She finished high school when she was 18 years old. |
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Fui a la universidad y estudié derecho. I went to university and studied law. |
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Terminé el instituto cuando tenía 18 años. I finished high school when I was 18 years old. |
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Ahora trabajo en un colegio y enseño. Now I work in a school and teach. |
| ... |
Exercise 3: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Cuando estudiaba en el colegio, siempre ______ temprano para preparar la clase.
(When I was studying at school, I always ______ early to prepare the class.)2. El profesor ______ clases de matemáticas durante tres años.
(The teacher ______ math classes for three years.)3. Ayer, ______ el examen final después de estudiar mucho.
(Yesterday, ______ the final exam after studying a lot.)4. Durante mi infancia, siempre ______ buenas notas en la escuela primaria.
(During my childhood, I always ______ good grades in elementary school.)Exercise 5: My time at school
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Venir - Venir
Pretérito imperfecto
- yo venía
- tú venías
- él/ella/usted venía
- nosotros/nosotras veníamos
- vosotros/vosotras veníais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes venían
Aprobar - Aprobar
Pretérito imperfecto
- yo aprobaba
- tú aprobabas
- él/ella/usted aprobaba
- nosotros/nosotras aprobábamos
- vosotros/vosotras aprobabais
- ellos/ellas/ustedes aprobaban
Suspender - Suspender
Pretérito indefinido
- yo suspendí
- tú suspendiste
- él/ella/usted suspendió
- nosotros/nosotras suspendimos
- vosotros/vosotras suspendisteis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes suspendieron
Exercise 6: ¿El pretérito imperfecto o el pretérito indefinido?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The imperfect past tense or the simple past tense?
Show translation Show answersencontré, suspendimos, explicaba, organizó, enseñabas, venía, aprobé, escribían, venían, tenía
Grammar Share Copied!
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A2.12.2 Gramática
¿El pretérito imperfecto o el pretérito indefinido?
The imperfect past tense or the simple past tense?
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Venir to come Share Copied!
Pretérito imperfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) venía | I was coming |
| (tú) venías | You were coming |
| (él/ella) venía | he/she was coming |
| (nosotros/nosotras) veníamos | we were coming |
| (vosotros/vosotras) veníais | You came |
| (ellos/ellas) venían | they were coming |
Aprobar to pass Share Copied!
Pretérito imperfecto
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) aprobaba | I used to pass |
| (tú) aprobabas | you were passing |
| (él/ella) aprobaba | he/she was passing |
| (nosotros/nosotras) aprobábamos | we passed |
| (vosotros/vosotras) aprobabais | You all passed |
| (ellos/ellas) aprobaban | they passed |
Suspender to fail Share Copied!
Pretérito indefinido
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) suspendí | I failed |
| (tú) suspendiste | You failed |
| (él/ella) suspendió | he/she failed |
| (nosotros/nosotras) suspendimos | We failed |
| (vosotros/vosotras) suspendisteis | You failed |
| (ellos/ellas) suspendieron | they failed |
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Overview of the Lesson: My Time at School
This lesson explores the Spanish education system and focuses on using two past tenses: the pretérito imperfecto and the pretérito indefinido. It helps learners describe habitual past actions as well as specific events that happened at certain times. The context relates to school memories and experiences, making it very practical and relatable for everyday conversations.
Key Grammar Focus: Past Tenses
The pretérito imperfecto is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, background information, and states of being. For example: "En España, los niños empezaban la escuela primaria a los seis años." (Children used to start primary school at six years old.)
The pretérito indefinido is for actions that happened once or were completed at a definite time. For example: "Un día, el profesor suspendió la clase por una tormenta muy fuerte." (One day, the teacher canceled class because of a strong storm.)
Useful Vocabulary Related to Education and School Life
- sistema educativo — education system
- escuela primaria — primary school
- asignaturas — subjects
- clases — classes
- profesor/profesora — teacher
- recreo — recess
- biblioteca — library
- examen — exam
- fútbol — soccer/football
Lesson Structure and Study Suggestions
The lesson includes dialogues to practice talking about school life and memories, encouraging use of both past tenses to tell stories, describe routines, and relate specific experiences.
Pay attention to common verbs used in school contexts, such as venir (to come), aprobaba (I used to pass), suspender (to fail), acordarse (to remember), and dar (to give, as in classes).
Additionally, fill-in-the-gap exercises and a short story provide further practice, emphasizing verb conjugation in context.
Notes on Language Differences and Useful Expressions
Unlike English, Spanish distinguishes clearly between these two past tenses when narrating past events. English uses simple past mostly for completed actions, but Spanish uses pretérito imperfecto for background and habit and pretérito indefinido for specific past actions. This is essential to master for natural storytelling in Spanish.
Some practical phrases and differences include:
- Cuando era niño — When I was a child (setting background, imperfect)
- Un día — One day (introducing a single event, indefinido)
- Solía participar — I used to participate (habitual action, imperfect)
- Recuerdo que — I remember that (to introduce a memory, leading often to imperfect descriptions)
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