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AP Spanish
Grammar Summary
Spanish-3 Unidad 6 Etapa 1
Preterite versus Imperfect
For a review of this topic, go to Spanish-2 Unidad 2 Etapa 2. Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page. Some
verbs have different meanings in the preterite and imperfect:
| |
Preterite |
Imperfect |
| saber |
supe I
found out |
sabía I knew |
| conocer |
conocí I met |
conocía I knew, used to know |
| no querer |
no quise I refused to... |
no quería I didn't want |
| poder |
pude I
could (and did) |
podía I was able to (but didn't necessarily do it) |
| tener |
tuve I
got |
tenía I had |
Indicative versus Subjunctive
You can use the indicative or the subjunctive after some conjunctions or verbs,
depending on what you want to express:
| INDICATIVE |
SUBJUNCTIVE |
| Use the indicative after these phrases when the
outcome is certain |
Use the subjunctive after these phrases when the
outcome is uncertain or after a command |
| cuando
tan pronto como en cuanto
después de que hasta que |
| Use the indicative after verbs and phrases that indicate certainty
or opinion |
Use the subjunctive after verbs and phrases that indicate doubt or
disbelief |
| No dudo que quieren venir I
don't doubt that they want to come |
Es dudoso que puedan venir. It's
doubtful they'll be able to come. |
| Use the indicative after aunque if
you're sure about the action in the subordinate clause. |
Use the indicative after aunque if
you're in doubt about the action in the subordinate clause. |
| Tengo que salir aunque hace mal tiempo.
I have to go out even though the weather is bad |
Tengo que salir aunque haga mal tiempo.
I have to go out out even though the weather may be bad. |
Reported Speech (Review)
To report what others are saying or said, you use decir que + verb. The tense of the
verb depends on
the situation:
| Carlos dice que no sale |
Carlos says he's not going out |
| Carlos dice que no va a salir |
Carlos says he is not going to go out |
| Carlos dice que saldría,
si... |
Carlos says he would go out, if... |
| Carlos dijo que no salía |
Carlos said that he wasn't going out |
| Carlos dijo que no saldría |
Carlos said that he would not go out |
| Carlos dijo que no salió |
Carlo said he did not go out |
| Carlos dice que salgas |
Carlos is telling you to go out |
| etcetera...... |
and so on..... |
Sequence of Tenses
You have already learned a number of indicative and subjunctive
tenses in Spanish. Here's a guide to how they work together. Indicative verb in the main
clause / Subjunctive verb in the subordinate clause.
| With Present or Present Perfect |
Use Present Subjunctive or Present Perfect
Subjunctive |
| Quiero |
que cambies
de canal |
| He dicho |
que no mires
ese programa |
| Me alegro de |
que hayas
grabado el programa |
| With Preterite, Imperfect, Past
Perfect or Conditional |
Use Imperfect Subjunctive or Past Perfect
Subjunctive |
| Te dije |
que cambiaras
de canal |
| Quería |
que miraras
ese programa |
| Te había dicho |
que no miraras
ese programa |
| Preferiría |
que no hubieras
grabado el programa |
| 