We were ready to eat | Estábamos listos para comer
Were they sad? | Estaban tristes?
I was (perm, un fin) | Era
You were (perm, un fin, sing. informal) | Eras
He was (perm, un fin) | Era
We were (perm, un fin) | Éramos
You were (perm, un fin, plu, informal) | Erais
They were (perm, un fin) | Eran
I was young | Era joven
I was vegetarian | Era vegetariano
You were blond | Eras rubia
It was a very small car | Era un coche muy pequeño
The dog was too old | El perro era demasiado viejo
We were brothers | Éramos hermanos
The boy and the girl were from Spain | El niño y la niña eran de
España
I was (temp, fin event) | Estuve
You were (temp, fin event, sing. informal) | Estuviste
He/she was (temp, fin, sing. informal) | Estuvo
We were (temp, fin event) | Estuvimos
They were (temp. fin event) | Estuvieron
Once | Una vez
Ago | Hace
Three weeks ago | Hace tres semanas
Yesterday | Ayer
Yesterday I was in school | Ayer estuve en la escuela
I was in Spain last year | Estuve en España el año pasado
Last night you were in the office | Anoche estuviste en la
oficina
Yesterday you were at home | Ayer estuviste en casa
He was in Madrid two days ago | Estuvo en Madrid hace dos días
She was in the park | Estuvo en el parque
Last night we were in a restaurant | Anoche estuvimos en un
restaurante
Were they in London last month? | ¿Estuvieron en Londres el mes
pasado?
I was (per. fin event) | Fui
You were (perm. fin event, sing. informal) | Fuiste
He was (perm. fin event) | Fue
We were (perm. fin event) | Fuimos
You were (perm. fin event, plu. informal) | Fuisteis
They were (perm. fin event) | Fueron
I was young once | Fui joven una vez
I was blond once | Fui rubia una vez
You were a doctor many years ago | Fuiste doctor hace muchos
años
You were a terrible singer many years ago | Fuiste un cantante
terrible hace muchos años
That was a school once | Una vez eso fue un escuela
My granddad was a doctor many years ago | Mi abuelo fue doctor hace
muchos años
Were were teachers once | Fuimos maestras una vez
Were they lawyers once? | ¿Fueron abogados una vez?
Haber - Diving into
the Past & the Wing Tense
(to go into the past tense in Spanish, you dive. To say “I
bought something” you say “I have bought something”. After “have”, you
dive into the past with “bought”, which in Spanish ends with -ado with
the -ar track, and ends with -ido with the other track)
Spoken | Hablado
Left | Salido
Eaten | Comido
Sold | Vendido
Bought | Comprado
Spoken | Hablado
Taken | Tomado
Lived | Vivido
(there are two Spanish verbs for “to be”; similarly, there are
two verbs for “to have”. The other verb is haber, and it is used for
diving into the past. In the present tense, this verb is like the future
tense endings, but with the -r- replaced with a -h-)
I have bought something | He comprado algo
We have bought | Hemos comprado
(to say “we have bought it”, the “it” comes before
“have”)
We have bought it | Lo hemos comprado
He has bought it | Lo ha comprado
Where have you bought it?, where did you buy it? | ¿Dónde lo ha
comprado?
He has sold it | Lo ha vendido
Made, done | Hecho
I have done it | Lo he hecho
Said | Dicho
He has told me | Me ha dicho
(there is also in Spanish an -ing tense in Spanish,
corresponding to “was -ing” and “were so-ing”; we’ll call it the “wing
tense”. For the -ar track, the ending is -aba)
I was waiting | Esperaba
I was speaking | Hablaba
I was buying it | Lo compraba
I was preparing it | Lo preparaba
(for the other tracks, the ending is -ía)
I was leaving | Salía
I was eating | Comía
I was doing it | Lo hacía
I was buying it | Lo compraba
I have not understood what you were saying | No he comprendido lo
que decía
(in Spanish, the “wing” tense expresses a straight line in the
past, but it can also express a broken line in the past, which in
English is “I used to do it” or “I did it very often”, “I did it every
day”, “I did it all the time”)
He did it every day | Lo hacía todos los días
It is done | Está hecho
I have done it | Lo he hecho
I prepared it, I have prepared it | Lo he preparado
Dinner is prepared | La cena está preparada
I accepted the condition, I have accepted the condition | He
aceptado la condición
I haven’t seen it yet, I still haven’t seen it | Todavía no lo he
visto
Put | Puesto
Where did you put it? Where have you put it? | ¿Dónde lo ha
puesto?
We have put it here | Lo hemos puesto aquí
I won’t forget it | No lo olvidaré
That we won’t forget it que | No lo olvidaremos
I didn’t forget it, I haven’t forgotten it | No lo he olvidado
Message | Recado
I have left a message for you | He dejado un recado para usted
We have spent much time | Hemos pasado mucho tiempo
We didn’t spend much time, we have not spent much time | No hemos
pasado mucho tiempo
How much time did you spend? | ¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado?
To feel like | Tener ganas de
I feel like staying here | Tengo ganas de quedarme aquí
I feel like being here with all of you | Tengo ganas de estar aquí
con ustedes
How long do you plan on staying? | ¿Cuánto tiempo piensa
quedarse?
I would ask you later | Le preguntaría más tarde
I will ask you later | Le preguntaré más tarde
I will call you later | Le llamaré más tarde
(whenever “to” implies “in order to”, in Spanish you must use
para)
I am calling you in order to know | Le llamo para saber
I am going to call you later | Voy a llamarle más tarde
I will call you later to ask you | Le llamaré mas tarde para
preguntarle
If you can come see it with us tonight | Si puede venir a verlo con
nosotros esta noche
(to say “I have just seen it”, in Spanish you say “I just
finished from seeing it”: acabo de… which translates “I have just…”;
this is a quick and painless way to speak in the past tense)
I have just left | Acabo de salir
He has just left | Acaba de salir
He has just left ten minutes ago | Acabo de salir hace diez
minutos
I have just seen it | Acabo de verlo
I have just arrived here two days ago | Acabo de llegar aquí hace
dos días
Questions
They saw, they watched | Vieron
You gave (sing. informal) | Diste
Was my dog in your garden yesterday? | ¿Estuvo mi perro en tu jardín
ayer?
Could you go to the cinema? | ¿Pudiste ir al cine?
Did he work in the United States? | ¿Trabajó en los Estados
Unidos?
Did you show your passport in the airport? | ¿Enseñaste tu pasaporte
en el aeropuerto?
Did they see the mountains? | ¿Vieron las montañas?
Did your sister have a good trip? | ¿Tuvo tu hermana una buena
excursión?
When were you in the park? | ¿Cuándo estuviste en el parque?
Where were you last night? | ¿Dónde estuviste anoche?
Where did your brother go last year? | ¿A dónde tu fue hermano el
año pasado?
When did you visit your grandmother? | ¿Cuándo visitaste a tu
abuela?
When were your friends on TV? | ¿Cuándo estuvieron tus amigos en
televisión?
What could he do? | ¿Qué pudo hacer?
You ordered (sing. informal) | Pediste
We saw, we watched | Vimos
My dad had to buy a new car | Mi padre tuvo que comprar un coche
nuevo
We had breakfast and then we took a bus to London | Desayunamos y
luego tomamos un autobús a Londres
You looked at the book but you didn’t buy it | Miraste al libro pero
no lo compraste
They went out for lunch and then they went for a swim | Salieron a
comer y luego fueron a nadar
You ordered fish and then a cake for dessert | Pediste pescado y
luego una tarta de postre
We visited my brother but we didn’t see his wife | Visitamos a mi
hermano pero no vimos a su esposa
Yesterday you bought a train ticket | Ayer compraste un billete de
tren
I had to go to Liverpool last year | Tuve que ir a Liverpool el año
pasado
When did you go to university? | ¿Cuándo fuiste a la
universidad?
Where could you buy more wine last night? | ¿Dónde pudiste comprar
más vino anoche?
Did your mum meet your dad in a train station? | ¿Conoció tu madre a
tu padre en una estación de tren?
Could you visit your friend last year? | ¿Pudiste visitar a tu amigo
el año pasado?
I couldn’t visit my family last week | No pude visitar a mi familia
la semana pasada
Verbs
I wrote | Escribí
You wrote (sing. informal) | Escribiste
He/she wrote (sing. informal) | Escribió
We wrote | Escribimos
You wrote (plu. informal) | Escribisteis
They wrote, you wrote (plu. formal) | Escribieron
I met | Conocí
You met (sing. informal) | Conociste
You met (plu. informal) | Conocisteis
He/she met (sing. informal) | Conoció
We met | Conocimos
They met, you met (plu. formal) | Conocieron
Last night | Anoche
Last week | La semana pasada
Last year | El año pasada
For two months | Durante dos meses
Yesterday I helped my mother in the kitchen | Ayer ayudé a mi madre
en la cocina
We tried the dessert yesterday | Probamos el postre ayer
It was a great party last night | Fue una fiesta grandiosa
anoche
They travelled to Germany last week | Viajaron a Alemania la semana
pasada
We ordered four starters | Pedimos cuatro aperitivos
I studies in Japan for two months | Estudié en Japón durante dos
meses
They lived in China for eight years | Vivieron en China durante ocho
años
We waited for two weeks | Esperamos durante dos semanas
I loved the cakes and the chocolate | Me encantaron las tartas y el
chocolate
We waited for two years | Esperamos durante dos años
They helped the girl | Ayudaron a la niña
Irregular verbs
I had | Tuve
You had (sing. informal) | Tuviste
He/she had, you had (sing. formal) | Tuvo
We had | Tuvimos
You had (plu. informal) | Tuvisteis
They had, you had (plu. formal) | Tuvieron
I could | Pude
You could (sing. informal) | Pudiste
He/she could, you could (sing. formal) | Pudo
We could | Pudimos
You could (plu. informal) | Pudisteis
They could, you could (plu. formal) | Pudieron
We came | Vinimos
They came | Vinieron
I slept | Dormí
We slept | Dormimos
I saw, I watched | Vi
They made, they did | Hicieron
I wrote a book two years ago | Escribí un libro hace dos años
He bought that hat twenty years ago | Compró ese sombrero hace
viente años
Last night they had dinner in the Spanish restaurant | Anoche
cenaron en el restaurante español
Last night we drank too much beer | Anoche bebimos demasiada
cerveza
We came to this country many years ago | Vinimos a este país hace
muchos años
He spoke Spanish very well | Habló español muy bien
They made a big yellow hat for you | Hicieron un sombrero amarillo y
grande para ti
We slept on the train | Dormimos en el tren
We travelled to Germany and met our friends three months ago |
Viajamos a Alemania y conocimos a nuestros amigos hace tres meses
I slept very well thank you | Dormí muy bien gracias
You met him in the club two weeks ago | Lo conociste en el club hace
dos semanas
My grandad and grandma came to my birthday | Mi abuelo y mi abuela
vinieron a mi cumpleaños
I saw her in the library yesterday | La vi en la biblioteca
ayer
We went dancing so today we are very tired | Fuimos a bailar así que
hoy estamos muy cansados
Last Saturday my friend made me a new pink dress | El sábado pasado
mi amigo me hizo un vestido rosa nuevo
My dad never went out for dinner | Mi padre nunca salió a cenar
You spoke terrible English | Hablaste terrible inglés
I spoke to her for three hours last Monday | Hablé con ella durante
tres horas hace el lunes pasado
We went shopping yesterday | Fuimos de compras ayer
Negation
He made, she made, he did, she did | Hizo
They slept | Durmieron
We ordered | Pedimos
They were not in restaurant four hours ago | No estuvieron en el
restaurante hace cuatro horas
He couldn’t go for a swim | No pudo ir a nadar
Last night she couldn’t come to the cinema | Anoche no pudo venir al
cine
We didn’t hate the film | No odiamos la película
They didn’t have dinner with us | No cenaron con nosotros
He didn’t meet his mother | No conoció a su madre
I couldn’t go dancing so I was very sad | No pude ir a bailar así
que estaba muy triste
My brother couldn’t go to school yesterday | Mi hermano no pudo ir a
la escuela ayer
His friends didn’t sleep at home | Sus amigos no durmieron en
casa
We didn’t take the bus | No tomamos el autobús
We didn’t order any desserts | No pedimos nada de postre
What happened?
I was buying a skirt | Estaba comprando una falda
He was buying a necklace for his mum | Estaba comprando un collar
para su madre
My girlfriend was telling me a story when you called | Mi novia
estaba contando una historia cuando llamaste
The witness was describing the man again | El testigo estaba
describiendo al hombre otra vez
It was snowing when we played golf | Estaba nevando cuando jugamos
al golf
It was raining in the place where we live | Estaba lloviendo en el
sitio donde nosotros vivimos
My dad was calling my mum when I arrived home | Mi padre estaba
llamando a mi madre cuando llegué a casa
My friend was turning on the TV when we heard the results | Mi amigo
estaba encendiendo la televisión cuando oímos los resultados
The victim was eating a hotdog when the murderer stabbed him | La
víctima comiendo un perrito caliente cuando el asesino lo apuñaló
It was raining when we stopped to have a toilet break | Estaba
lloviendo cuando paramos para ir al servicio
My friends were entering the jungle when they heard the waterfall |
Mis amigos estaban entrando en la jungla cuando oyeron la cascada
They were walking towards the mountain when they saw the elephant |
Estaban caminando hacia la montaña cuando vieron el elefante
The ambulance was arriving when my mum came home | La ambulancia
estaba llegando cuando mi madre llegó a casa
I was buying earrings for my sister when she saw me | Estaba
comprando unos pendientes cuando me vio
The police were arresting the suspect | La policía estaba arrestando
al sospechoso
I was skiing in Norway when I broke my arm | Estaba esquiando en
Noruega cuando me rompí el brazo
We were eating together when he gave me the ring | Estábamos
comiendo juntos cuando me dio el anillo
My mum and my dad were watching TV when my grandma called | Mi madre
y mi padre estaban viendo la televisión cuando mi abuela llamó
My dad was playing golf when he broke his arm | Mi padre estaba
jugando al golf cuando se rompió el brazo
He was playing American football | Estaba jugando al fútbol
americano
The doctor was asking questions when the police arrived | El doctor
estaba haciendo preguntas cuando la policía llegó