Hola Margaret,
Do you mean the "general" difference between the Imperfect and the Preterite? or just for verb "ser"?
Here is a lesson on the general difference that can help you:
[competency id= "6871"]
Inma
The verb ser (to be) is irregular in El Pretérito Imperfecto (the imperfect past):
|
yo |
era |
|
tú |
eras |
|
él / ella / Ud. |
era |
|
nosotros / nosotras |
éramos |
|
vosotros / vosotras |
erais |
|
ellos / ellas / Uds. |
eran |
Don't confuse ser and estar in this tense! Ser is so irregular you might think it looks a bit like estar but estar is regular in the imperfect tense.
Here are some examples to listen to:
Yo era el más pequeño de la familia.
I was the smallest in the family.
Tú eras muy bueno.
You were very good.
Ella era modelo.
She used to be a model.
Nosotros éramos los mejores del campeonato.
We used to be the best in the championship.
Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
Yo era el más pequeño de la familia.
I was the smallest in the family.
Vosotros erais ricos.
You used to be rich.
Ella era modelo.
She used to be a model.
Ellos eran rápidos.
They were fast.
Tú eras muy bueno.
You were very good.
Nosotros éramos los mejores del campeonato.
We used to be the best in the championship.
Q&A Forum 3 questions, 6 answers
MargaretKwiziq community member
Difference between past imperfect and past indefinite?
Asked 1 year ago
ReynoldKwiziq community member
The past imperfect refers to the imperfect tense also known as the preterito imperfecto; whereas the past indefinite refers to the present perfect tense, which is the tense formed by the present tense of haber combined with the past participle of a verb. example He comido-I have eaten.
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RickyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Model
In "Ella era modelo," why is this not "
"Ella era modela"? Is model a masculine word regardless of who is the model?
Ricky
Asked 1 year ago
InmaKwiziq team member
Hola Ricky,
The word "modelo" as model is invariable, as you guessed, so it will be modelo for a man and a woman, however we do need to use the appropriate article when it is needed:
"La modelo llevaba un vestido azul largo" (it refers to a girl/woman)
"El modelo llevaba una chaqueta vaquera" (it refers to a guy/man)
Saludos
Inma
TonyaKwiziq community member
For the following example, could this also be translated as 'She was a model'?
Ella era modelo.
She used to be a model.InmaKwiziq team member
Hola Tonya
Sorry about the delay. We didn't receive notification of your message. Just saw it now.
Yes, as the imperfect tense is also used to express a repeated action in the past, you could also translate it as "she used to be a model". However if you want to emphasise the fact that she was and now she isn't we'd probably use verb "soler" for that, saying:
"Ella solía ser modelo"
Saludos
Inma
Ricky asked:View original
Model
In "Ella era modelo," why is this not "
"Ella era modela"? Is model a masculine word regardless of who is the model?
Ricky
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LaurieKwiziq community member
How do you say was at?
As in "I was at the supermarket" vs "I went to the supermarket".
InmaKwiziq team member
Hola Laurie
"I was at the supermarket" would be "Yo estaba/estuve en el supermercado." (from "estar")
"I went to the supermarket" would be "Yo iba/fui al supermercado." (from "ir")
Bear in mind that we can use both the Imperfecto (estaba) or the Indefinido (estuve) in the first sentence, as well as in the second sentence we could use the Imperfecto (iba) or the Indefinido (fui).
I hope it helped.
Inma
Laurie asked:View original
How do you say was at?
As in "I was at the supermarket" vs "I went to the supermarket".
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