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Lesson Introduction

Today we review the preterit tense, "el tiempo pretérito," the tense used to list simple actions that began and were completed in the past. We'll see an episode from The Volatile Interpreter, and we'll take a look at the regular formation of this action-listing tense.

Comments (30) RSS

Avatar Team
jpvillanueva says

Hi folks, I hope this review helps! 

Next time, we'll talk about the non-regulars... after that, we'll get into the imperfect!

Enjoy!

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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cutthatcity says

haha i loved the volatile interpreter, esti would be a good actress

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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powhatansage says

Great review, thanks!

Loved Esti and the other volatile interpretors.  Humor helps the memory.

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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barackobama67 says

JP you are an excellent teacher!  So organized and concise.  Ken Carroll could learn a thing or two from you :)

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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rickychan says

Sí, JP es un excelente profesor. Me daba mucho dolor de cabeza intentando comprender cuando tenía que usar el pretérito y el imperfecto (nunca tenía un profesor 'real' porque aprendo yo mismo). Entonces, en un episodio de "Pa 'que Sepas", JP dijó que el pretérito es como "BAM! It happened". Eso me ayudó mucho de verdad. He's very good at making things simpler to understand.

多谢你,JP!

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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vikia says

hmmmm I see another chart for me to create in the near future.

 

October 31, 2008 from the Web.
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anthonyaferrara says

I am curious,,,the .pdf that goes along with this lesson did not have the verbs conjugated into the preterit tense, only the infinitive were given in the left-hand column..was that intentional?

Anthony

November 1, 2008 from the Web.
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donperigo says

apparently not :-) its all preterite now

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
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luisita says

Tuve que bajar el volumen... ja! ja! ja!

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
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gsokolow says

Disfruté mucho. Gracias por la leccion.

No puedo esperar para el proximo.

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
Avatar Team
jpvillanueva says

Bueno amigos, ¡es el momento de emplear el tiempo pretérito!  ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana pasado? 

  • El viernes después del trabajo fui a cenar con una amiga.
  • Después, fuimos a darnos un masaje. 
  • El sábado fui a Ikea para comprar unas cositas.
  • Cené con unos amigos,
  • ...y después todos fuimos a cantar karaoke.
  • Ayer fui al supermarcado...
  • ...y cené en casa de mis amigos. 

Remember, the preterit is particularly appropriate when you're ticking actions off a bulleted list, so just list them.

If you go beyond listing actions and start describing ongoing actions, you'll have to use the imperfect tense, which we'll review in an upcoming La clave.

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
Avatar Team
lilianamata says

Mi fin de semana fue muy productivo.

  • Fui a una fiesta de Halloween el viernes.
  • El Sábado fui a comer a un restaurante Taiwanés.
  • Ayer fui a hacerme un facial!

 

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
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goncastaneda says

Taiwanés (taiwanés)

November 2, 2008 from the Web.
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juliojeffjie says

A mi me encanta como usted susurra la definición de las palabras en inglés después del español.

No entiendo como grita así sin reír!

Que bien!

 

 

November 3, 2008 from the Web.
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Cornelia says

Irrestistible and funny! And didactically so perfect! I'll never forget the use of preterit tense after having laughed like here... and that is very helpful for me as a German native without strict rules which form of past tense to use.

What I appreciate on top of that: it can give something to all levels of SpanishPoddies.

I follow more or less regulary the Praxis pods in Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian: my award for outstanding didactics among them definitely goes to SPANISHPOD !

Nice gag to include Marco + the Chinese guy, too, at the end.

November 3, 2008 from the Web.
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willig says

I am not so sure she was acting.  I know a guy that has a wife just like that.  :-)

 

November 6, 2008 from the Web.
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chillosk says

I loved the part where Amber's eyes started to get bigger. Hahaha

November 7, 2008 from the Web.
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ritzy says

Seriously this is the best site, i've ever seen to learn any language............

thank you Lili, JP, and group......muchas gracias!!

November 7, 2008 from the Web.
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mjhch1 says

JA JA JA

Esti es una buena actriz! Que excellente! Necesita una premio. (de verdad... ella es solamente actuación? )

Bien hecho JP... un otra lección que no puedo olvidar!

Gracias a todos.  ;-o)

(p.s. corrija mis errores, por favor)

 

 

November 10, 2008 from the Web.
Avatar Team
estibalitz says

So happy you all liked it. I was really acting, and I think I even scared Amber a little, she was not expecting me to go so mad, jeje.

November 10, 2008 from the Web.
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spanishlearners says

I can see that that was an espreso (big cup), you need to cut on the coffee (or stop it altogether ;)

Nice pod I will be studying it and prepare some sentences with the regular verbs listed there, practive makes perfect.

November 11, 2008 from the Web.
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danarei says

Esti you were HILARIOUS!  Please do more of the "Volatile Interpreter," I love it!

November 12, 2008 from the Web.
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patmahdina says

Hi, any transcript in spanish of the hilarious volatile interpretation. thanks!

June 7, 2009 from the Web.
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dubhais says

Éste es uno de los mejores episodios de La Clave.

Todos vamos a echar de menos mucho a Esti y a JP...

C - Clienta (Amber que tenía un programa maravillosa en ChinesePod)

 

L Entonces, ¿te devolvieron el dinero y no fue un lío?

E So you get the money back no problem at all

C Yes

E Sí, sí, sí, sí, sí

C But they gave it all back

E Pues sí al final acabaron dándome todo el dinero

C but I had to talk to the manager

E Pero claro, primero tuve que hablar con la secretaria después hablé con el vicepresidente hasta que pude hablar con el gerente

C Who gave me a number to call

E Que no me quería dar ningún número de teléfono y entonces yo le dije pero ¿ustedes qué se piensan? Denme el número de teléfono

C So I called the number

E Entonces empecé a llamar a llamar ese teléfono

C And I talked to the person there

E Y y no podía hablar con nadie nadie me contestaba el teléfono y les dije pero ¿qué sin vergüenzas son ustedes?

C Then I gave the phone back to the manager

E Y ENTONCES YA POR FIN PUDE HABLAR CON EL SEÑOR MANAGER EL QUE ES TAN IMPORTANTE QUE NO TIENE NI UN SEGUNDO DE SU VIDA PARA MÍ

C So they gave me my money back

E y y y y conseguí que me dieran el dinero

 

June 8, 2009 from the Web.
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ewong says

I enjoyed this very much!  :)

I hope there's also a preterite tense verb chart

April 20, 2010 from the Web.
donperigo says

ewong

I dont think so, but there is a poem

April 21, 2010 from the Web.
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marcosfrijoles says

What is that GREAT music in the background? Where can I buy that?

March 29, 2011 from the Web.
lilianamata says

Hi. I asked but they don´t know the name. It was composed by a friend of ItalianPod Marco.

March 30, 2011 from the Web.
marcosfrijoles says

Thanks Liliana. It is very cool! He should be on a major label.

March 31, 2011 from the Web.
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guest says


Hello, I am Juliet.
How are you ? hope you are fine and in perfect condition of health.Please I
went through your profile at (spanishpod.com)and i read it and took
interest in it,please if you don't mind i will like you to write me on this
ID(Julietcumbu11@yahoo.com) hope to hear from you soon,and I will be
waiting for your mail because i have something VERY important to tell you.
Lots of love
Juliet.

July 9, 2011 from the Web.

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