|
 |
Using imperfecto in place of preterito? | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Nature Diglot Groupie Canada Joined 5237 days ago 63 posts - 80 votes  Speaks: English*, French | Message 1 of 6 24 October 2011 at 6:24am | IP Logged | ||
|
I know you can't compare languages but in French(Quebec), we use the imparfait a lot more
than we use the passé composé even when the passe composé should be used. So because of this, I thought I'd give this question a shot. Is this the same for Spanish? Is imperfecto used a lot more than preterito? I ask this because preterito is really hard, and if I can get away with just using imperfecto (which is so much easier to understand and easier to remember in the real world) I'll do it! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fiziwig Senior Member United States Joined 4865 days ago 297 posts - 618 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 2 of 6 24 October 2011 at 6:36am | IP Logged | ||
|
How would you translate "While I was reading the phone rang." I don't see how you could possibly do without both imperfecto and pretérito in that sentence. The prolonged act of reading and the sudden and singular ringing of the phone are so different in the way they are deployed in time, using the same tense just wouldn't make sense.
On Edit: I'm curious. What do you find difficult about pretérito? The action happened once, in the past, and was completed. It's hard to imagine anything simpler than that. Mientras leía, sonó el teléfono. --gary Edited by fiziwig on 24 October 2011 at 6:47am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Nature Diglot Groupie Canada Joined 5237 days ago 63 posts - 80 votes Speaks: English*, French | Message 3 of 6 24 October 2011 at 6:42am | IP Logged | ||
I don't know about Spanish, but in French you can use both imperfect. But I have to stop comparing maybe they're just not the same despite the Latin background... I know in Spanish the he/has/ha form is used a lot more... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fiziwig Senior Member United States Joined 4865 days ago 297 posts - 618 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 4 of 6 24 October 2011 at 6:47am | IP Logged | ||
|
There's a series on audio podcast lessons called "Coffee Break Spanish". Google it and download the mp3's. When the teacher describes imperfecto and pretérito he calls them "dum de dum dum" and "thtum!". Something is happening, like I'm walking on the beach, la de da, dum de dum dum, when suddenly THTUM! a meteor crashes onto the water. Dum de dum dum is imperfecto and THTUM! is pretérito. That's all there is to it.
or... I was reading (dum de dum dum) when (THTUM!) the phone rang. Mientras leía, (imperfecto) sonó (pretérito) el teléfono. --gary Edited by fiziwig on 24 October 2011 at 6:51am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Javi Senior Member Spain Joined 5981 days ago 419 posts - 548 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 5 of 6 24 October 2011 at 9:35am | IP Logged | ||
Yes, that happens in Spanish too, but you'll only hear that in the media. People don't talk like that in real live. For example: El accidente se producía alrededor de las 10 de la mañana. Dos personas resultaban muertas esta mañana al colosionar... El presidente del gobierno visitaba hoy las instalaciones de... Hope that helps. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4949 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English*, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean | Message 6 of 6 25 October 2011 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | ||
|
The above is similar to how French media uses the imperfect for indirect present tense quotes, the pluperfect for indirect quotes in the passé composé, etc.
Unfortunately, you do need to use the Preterit in many regular situaions. In many areas of Latin America it is the most used past tense, and can't really be substituted for the imperfect or you will sound like a dummy or at best as an extremely indecisive or forgetful person! When it comes to past tenses, Spanish and French are somewhat different (the imperfect in both languages is used in most of the same situations though, except restrictive clauses where Spanish uses the imperfect or indefinite of the subjunctive). I understand how difficult the preterito can be because it's like having to learn all the verbs again by heart. Spanish to me has the hardest verb conjugation and tense usage of any romance language, at least those in the west of Europe. I guess it makes it up in how easy it is to pronounce compared to French or Portuguese! Also, interesting that in Quebec the imperfect is used in situations that require the passé composé for the action that interrupted the background action (in the imperfect). In most of France, this distinction is preserved I believe. Edited by outcast on 25 October 2011 at 4:42pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
