Imperfecto o presente

Colin H.A2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Imperfecto o presente

Hi,

What is the difference in meaning between using the imperative tense as in "Los jubilados acababan de ..." and the present tense as in "Ustedes acaban de ..."?

Thanks.

Saludos,

Colin

ning

This question relates to:Spanish lesson "Acabar de + [infinitive] = to have just done / just did something in Spanish (perífrasis verbal)"

Asked 5 months ago

Like0Answer1

InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Colin

When you say "acaban de + infinitive", e.g "los invitados acaban de llegar", this is "have just..." in the present: "the guests have just arrived", whilst with "acababan de + infinitive": "los invitados acababan de llegar", this is a past action "the guests had just arrived".

I hope this clarified it.

Saludos

Inma

Like05 months ago

Colin H. asked: