Past tenses (summary) Share Copied!
A brief summary of the past tenses in Spanish: past simple, imperfect, and present perfect.
Gramática: Los tiempos del pasado (resumen)
A2 Spanish Past tenses summary
Level: A2
Module 4: El buen pasado (The good old past)
Lesson 32: Métodos de pago (Payment methods)
Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes
Audio and video
- The simple past is used for actions that occurred and ended at a specific moment in the past.
- The imperfect tense is used to describe habitual actions, situations, and states in the past.
- The present perfect is used for past actions that have relevance in the present or are still current.
| Tiempo verbal | Ejemplo |
|---|---|
| Pretérito indefinido | El año pasado gané el premio al mejor trabajador. (Last year I won the award for best worker.) |
| Pretérito imperfecto | Cuando era joven siempre ganaba premios por ser el mejor trabajador. (When I was young, I always won awards for being the best worker.) |
Pretérito perfecto he/has/ha/hemos/habéis/han + participio | Este año he ganado el premio al mejor trabajador. (This year I have won the award for best worker.) |
Exercise 1: Los tiempos del pasado (resumen)
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
pensaba, dieron, habéis sido, ganábamos, has tenido, ha ganado, han premiado, han ganado
Exercise 2: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
han premiado
they have awarded
2
ha ganado
has made
3
ganábamos
we used to win
4
han ganado
they have gained
