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Spanish Dance – Manuel de Falla
What past tenses are there in Spanish?
As part of our commitment to helping you learn Spanish grammar, we want to talk about the different past tenses that exist in the indicative mood. In total, there are three, and each has its own use. This is one of the topics that causes the most difficulty for students. However, with the explanations we provide below, we are confident that you will be able to understand it easily.
In Spanish, there are a total of three past tenses in the indicative mood.
1.- Pretérito perfecto compuesto
2.- Pretérito perfecto simple (or pretérito indefinido)
3.- Pretérito imperfecto
As we have said, each of these past tenses in the indicative mood has a specific use and purpose. We will talk about each one in order to clarify the topic of these three past forms as much as possible.
As a preview, we can say that each one is used for a specific period of time and, at the same time, each one indicates how many times the action occurred in the past. For this reason, some cannot be used with certain verbs because they would simply not make sense.
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1.- Spanish grammar: pretérito perfecto compuesto
The pretérito perfecto compuesto is a past tense formed with the present indicative of the verb haber and the past participle of the verb we want to conjugate.
How is the pretérito perfecto compuesto conjugated?
To conjugate the pretérito perfecto compuesto, we must use the verb “haber” as an auxiliary verb. We can say that it is a form of the past that is made like “the compound form of the present,” using the present tense of “haber” plus the past participle of the verb to be conjugated.
Present tense of the verb "haber"
Yo he
Tú has
Él/ella ha
Nosotros/as hemos
Vosotros/as habéis
Ellos/as han
Participles
1ª conjugation – AR (estudiar, hablar, caminar…)
2ª conjugation – ER (comer, beber, tener…)
3ª conjugation – IR (vivir, dormir, sentir…)
1ª conjugation
Hoy he estudiado dos horas.
Esta mañana has desayunado café.
Hace dos horas ha nadado.
2ª conjugation
Hoy no hemos comido nada.
Esta mañana habéis bebido té.
Hoy no han tenido un buen día.
3ª conjugation
Hoy he dormido siesta.
Esta noche he sentido frío.
Hemos conducido hasta la playa.
Uses of the pretérito perfecto compuesto
We can say that the pretérito perfecto compuesto basically has two different uses. As we will see, the confusion it causes when studying it is actually due to a nuance that is easy to understand but still needs to be explained. Let’s explain a bit more about its two main uses.
1.- Today’s past
The pretérito perfecto compuesto is used to talk about events that have happened today. Indeed, it is used to describe something that has already occurred today—for example, this morning, twenty minutes ago, two hours ago, or, in general, any past event within today.
To talk about yesterday’s past or more distant times, we could use the other two past forms in Spanish: the pretérito perfecto simple (or pretérito indefinido) and the pretérito imperfecto.
Today I have eaten fish with vegetables.
This morning I have had coffee for breakfast.
I have walked ten thousand steps this afternoon.
As we can see, the pretérito perfecto compuesto is used to talk about past actions—but specifically, past events that occurred today. Therefore, we can say that the pretérito perfecto compuesto is used for recent past actions.
In some contexts, in certain Spanish-speaking countries, and in some regions of Spain, this tense is sometimes replaced by the pretérito perfecto simple (or pretérito indefinido) of the indicative. For example, one might say, “hoy comí arroz con patatas” (“today I ate rice with potatoes”). However, this usage is not precise and somewhat undermines the purpose of Spanish verb tenses, which is to be exact.
Indeed, as you will discover as you progress in learning Spanish, it is an extremely precise language, where the possibilities offered by its verb tenses are rich and varied.
2.- The past up to today
The second main use of the pretérito perfecto compuesto is to talk about things that are part of the past up to today. In other words, it is used to speak about things that I have “never” or “always” done, not done, eaten, seen, etc.
Many students wonder why a past tense in Spanish is used both to talk about the very recent past (a very short period of time) and, at the same time, a much longer period like “never” or “always.” How is it possible to use the same tense for something that happened today and for something that has happened over a long period of time?
The reason is precisely that: because it has happened from always until now. When we say “always” or “never,” we are actually saying “from a long time ago until this moment.” Therefore, when we say “always” or “never,” we are really speaking about a very recent past: up to this very moment. And, as mentioned, to talk about the recent past (today, the past of this very moment) we use the pretérito perfecto compuesto. That is why we would say:
Nunca he viajado a Francia. (I have never traveled to France up to today, and not today either)
Siempre hemos comido a las dos. (Up to today, we have always eaten at two o’clock)
Ha visto esa película veinte veces. (He/she has seen that movie twenty times)
Understanding that when we say “always,” “never,” or similar adverbs, what we really mean is “up to this moment,” it becomes easier to see why the pretérito perfecto compuesto is used in these cases just like when talking about today’s past.
2.- Gramática del español: pretérito perfecto simple (indefinido)
As it could not be otherwise, when talking about the past in Spanish and Spanish grammar in general, we cannot forget the pretérito indefinido or pretérito perfecto simple. It is very similar to the past in other languages in use and function, such as the particle “了” in Chinese or the “-ed” particle in English for participles and the past of regular verbs. The pretérito perfecto simple is a past tense in Spanish used to talk about past events that are completed and occurred once. That is: past actions that are already finished and, precisely for that reason, their completion makes them a one-time event. For example:
Yesterday I bought a gift for Elvira.
Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
He finished his homework and had dinner.
In all these examples, we see that the action occurs once, which is precisely once because it is finished and has the duration of that very moment. How many times did I buy a gift for Elvira? Once: when I bought the gift, that action was completed.
It is clearer in the example of Columbus: how many times did he discover America? Once: the time in 1492, the one that that year tells us. Naturally, in the third example, the person doing the homework finishes it only once, and for that reason, we would also use the pretérito perfecto simple (or indefinido) here.
How is the pretérito indefinido (pretérito perfecto simple) conjugated?
The pretérito perfecto simple has a set of rules for conjugating regular verbs. There are some exceptions, such as the verbs “andar,” “ir,” or “ser.” Now, these are the endings that generally exist for the past in Spanish with the pretérito perfecto simple (or indefinido).
1ª conjugation - AR
- Yo hablé – é
- Tú hablaste – aste
- Él/ella habló – ó
- Nosotros/as hablamos – amos
- Vosotros/as hablasteis – asteis
- Ellos/as hablaron – aron
2ª conjugation - ER
- Yo comí- í
- Tú comiste- iste
- Él/ella comió- ió
- Nosotros/as comimos- imos
- Vosotros/as comisteis- isteis
- Ellos/as comieron- ieron
3ª conjugation - IR - ÍA
- Yo viví – í
- Tú viviste- iste
- Él/ella vivió- ió
- Nosotros/as vivimos- imos
- Vosotros/as vivisteis- isteis
- Ellos/as vivieron – ieron
Uses of the pretérito indefinido
1.- Talking about completed actions (since yesterday)
As we have said, the pretérito indefinido or pretérito perfecto simple is used to talk about past actions that have already been completed and occurred only once. Its use can be defined based on two requirements:
Actions completed at least since yesterday (for “today’s” past, as mentioned, the pretérito perfecto compuesto is used)
Actions that have been completed and, therefore, have not occurred multiple times but only once.
2.- Sequence of actions
In relation to the previous point, and as a consequence of the fact that the pretérito indefinido can be used to talk about completed actions, it can be used to construct the order of different actions one after another. For example:
First, I had breakfast, then I showered, got dressed, and finally went to work.
As we can see, each of these actions was completed, happened once, and therefore can be ordered in time because they are finished.
3.- Biographies
The pretérito indefinido is the tense that, due to its characteristics, is used to talk about someone’s biography. Indeed, when talking about a person’s life, the pretérito imperfecto and pretérito perfecto simple may appear combined. However, to narrate the events that define their life, the pretérito indefinido or pretérito perfecto simple is used.
Manuel de Falla was born in Cádiz in 1876. He died in Argentina in 1946.
The use of the pretérito perfecto simple is appropriate since both being born and dying happen only once and represent completed actions in the past of Manuel de Falla’s life.
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3.- Spanish Grammar: pretérito imperfecto
Another form of past in Spanish is the pretérito imperfecto. This is a tense that is generally used to talk about actions that have happened or been carried out many times in the past. Thus, while the pretérito perfecto simple (or indefinido) is used for past actions that occurred only once, the pretérito imperfecto is used for past actions that happened many times. For the same reason, it is also used to talk about things that were happening “while” another action occurred: the reason is that they were happening all the time—while the other action took place—constantly.
This tense has the advantage, compared to other languages, of not needing adverbs to emphasize this recurring aspect of the action. For this reason, and in conjunction with the other past tenses in Spanish, it makes this wonderful language extremely precise.
How is the pretérito imperfecto conjugated?
Below we provide the general rule for conjugating the pretérito imperfecto in Spanish for all regular verbs. It is a good opportunity to remember that, as always, when learning any verb tense in Spanish we must pay special attention to the verb “haber.” Since this is the auxiliary verb par excellence in Spanish, if we learn it in its simple forms we will later be able to use it to form compound tenses. In the case of the pretérito imperfecto, this refers to the pretérito pluscuamperfecto of the indicative.
1ª conjugation - AR
- Yo hablaba – aba
- Tú hablabas – abas
- Él/ella hablaba – aba
- Nosotros/as hablábamos – abamos
- Vosotros/as hablabais – abais
- Ellos/as hablaban – aban
2ª conjugation - ER
- Yo comía – ía
- Tú comías – ías
- Él/ella comía – ía
- Nosotros/as comíamos – íamos
- Vosotros/as comíais – íais
- Ellos/as comían – ían
3ª conjugation - IR - ÍA
- Yo vivía – ía
- Tú vivías – ías
- Él/ella vivía – ía
- Nosotros/as vivíamos – íamos
- Vosotros/as vivíais – íais
- Ellos/as vivían – ían
Uses of the pretérito imperfecto
1.- Pretérito imperfecto for repeated actions in the past
As mentioned, the pretérito imperfecto is normally used to talk about actions or events in the past that happened many times, such as routines or repeated actions over time.
Every Saturday I played basketball.
We went to school by bus.
My brother studied Japanese every afternoon.
As you can see, these actions were repeated, constant: they happened many times in the past, on multiple occasions. In this sense, the pretérito imperfecto differs from the indefinido because it talks about recurring actions rather than actions done just once.
2.- Pretérito imperfecto for simultaneous actions in the past
For practically the same reason, the pretérito imperfecto can also be used for actions that, in the past, happened at the same time as another action. Precisely because when we say “while” we are actually saying “during all that time,” which is the same as saying “many times in that time” or “continuously while something else was happening.”
Mientras vivía en España aprendía español.
En el tren hacia Santiago hablábamos de nuestra vida.
Cuando miraba las estrellas quedaba fascinado.
As noted, when there are two simultaneous actions and one is “mientras” the other, the pretérito imperfecto is used precisely to indicate that one action occurs continuously while the other happens. For example: “Nosotros hablábamos todo el tiempo mientras viajábamos a Santiago.”
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Spanish past tense exercises
Naturally, the best way to learn the past tense in Spanish is by taking Spanish classes with qualified teachers: while you decide to join one of our courses, at Jerónimo de Ayanz we encourage you to complete these exercises as a challenge. We invite you to try our free Spanish class to see for yourself how effective our method can be for learning Spanish.
Ayer (ir, yo) al parque por la tarde.
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Hoy (comer, nosotros) verduras y arroz.
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Esta semana (estudiar, ellos) mientras (limpiar, nosotros) la casa.
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Por la mañana (desayunar, tú) café y galletas.
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(Beber, ellos) té chino en mi casa en mi cumpleaños.
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(Viajar, yo) todos los veranos a Italia con mis padres.
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(Ser, tú) rubio de pequeño. Ahora eres moreno.
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Hace dos horas (coger, nosotros) tren hacia Santiago de Compostela.
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(Tener, yo) dos billetes de 5€, ¿dónde están ahora?
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