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Spanish II - The Past Tenses Preterit and Imperfect

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Study GuideSpanish II–The Past Tenses Preterit and Imperfect1.‐ar or‐er Verbs in the Preterit1.1A Simple Rule to RememberWhen you use–aror–erverbs in thepreterit tense, there isno stem change.This rule is very important and very helpful!Even if a verb changes its stem in thepresent tense, itdoes not changeits stem in thepreterittense.1.2What This Means for YouYou may already know that some verbs change their stem in the present tense.For example,pensar (to think)changes frome → iein the present tense.But here is the key point:That stem change disappears in the preterit tense.So when you talk about something that happened in the past, you use theregular preterit formswithout changing the stem.Example: Pensar in the Preterit

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Study GuideThe verbpensaris a great example to study.Look carefully at the table below:•The stempens-stays the same inallforms.•There isno e → ie stem changeanywhere.•Only thepreterit endingschange depending on the subject.This pattern applies toall–ar and–er verbsin the preterit tense.2. StemChangers in the PreteritStem-changing verbs work a little differently in thepreterit tense, especially–ir verbs.2.1 Important Rule for–ir VerbsOnly–ir verbshave stem changes in thepreterit tense.However, the stem change happensonly in the third-person forms:•él•ella•usted•ellos•ellas•ustedesYo, tú, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras do NOT have stem changesin the preterit.2.2–ir Verbs with o → u Stem ChangeIf an–ir verb changeso → uein the present tense, it changes too → uin the preterit.Example: morir (to die)•Present tense:o → ue•Preterit tense:o → u(only in third person)The verbdormir (to sleep)follows thesame pattern.

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Study Guide2.3–ir Verbs with e → iStem ChangeSome–ir verbs changee → iein the present tense.In the preterit tense, these verbs changee → i, againonly in the third person forms.Example: preferir (to prefer)Notice that:•Thesecond “e”inpreferirchanges•This is the same letter that changes in the present tense

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Study Guide2.4Common–ir Verbs LikePreferirHere are some common–ir verbs that follow thee → istem-change pattern in the preterit:These verbs only change their stem in thethird-person forms.2.5Another Example:Servir(to serve)The verbserviralso follows thee → istem-change rule in the preterit.•No stem change foryo, tú, nosotros, vosotros•Stem changeonlyforél, ella, usted, ellos, ellas, ustedes

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Study GuideSummary•Only–ir verbshave stem changes in the preterit•Stem changes happenonly in third-person forms•o → ue(present) becomeso → u(preterit)•e → ie(present) becomese → i(preterit)3. Morphing Irregulars in the PreteritSome Spanish verbs areirregular in the preterite tensebecause theirstem changes completely.Instead of following the normal stem-changing rules you may know from the present tense, theseverbs“morph” into a new stemjust for the preterite.3.1What Are Preterite Morphing Verbs?Preterite morphing verbs:•Haveirregular stems•Use aspecial set of endings•Do NOT use accent marks•Do NOT follow normal stem-changing rules

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Study GuideEven though the stems change,the endings stay consistentacross all morphing verbs.Special Endings for Preterite Morphing VerbsThese verbs use the following endings:Once you memorize these endings, you can apply them toall morphing irregular verbs.Important:There areno written accentsin any of these forms.3.2U-Stem VerbsSome verbsgain a “u” in their stemin the preterite—even though they donothave a “u” in theinfinitive.To conjugate them:1.Replace the original stem with theu-stem2.Add thespecial morphing endingsCommon U-Stem Verbs

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Study Guide3.3Memorize Tener–It’s the Key!Tener (to have)is extremely common, so learning it well will help you withall u-stem verbs.Preterite ofTener3.4I-Stem VerbsAnother group of morphing verbs uses a stem with the letter“i.”These verbs also use thesamespecial endings.Common I-Stem Verbs

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Study Guide3.5Special Spelling Rule: HacerHacerfollows the same pattern asvenir, but it hasone spelling change.Why the Change?Spanish spelling rules require a“z”before-oto keep the correct sound.Preterite ofHacer

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Study GuideOnly the él/ella/usted form changes to “hizo.”3.6J-Stem VerbsJ-stem verbs end in-jin the stem and follow the same endingswith one important exception.The Big ExceptionForellos / ellas /ustedes, the ending-ieronbecomes-eron(Thei disappears.)Common J-Stem Verbs

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Study Guide3.7Preterite ofTraerSummary• Memorize thespecial endings• Learntener, venir, and traeras models• Remember:no accents• Watch forspelling changes(likehizoand-eron)Once you see the patterns, preterite morphing verbs stop being scary—and start making sense!4. Truly Irregular Verbs in the PreteritSome Spanish verbs in thepreterit tensedonot follow normal patterns. These verbs must bememorizedbecause their forms do not match regular rules. Don’t worry—there are only a few, andonce you learn them, they become much easier to recognize.4.1Ir (to go) and Ser (to be)Same Forms, Different MeaningsThe verbsirandserare special because:•They areconjugated exactly the samein the preterit tense.
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Document Details

University
Texas A&M University
Course
Spanish II
Subject
World Languages

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