A comment on this subject after spending an hour researching itThe instructions in the link say:
The choice of tense depends on whether the speaker is "still inside" the "unit of time" that's being used or implied:
Use the present perfect ("he ido") form when talking about the past:
- today, this week, this month, or this year
Use the indefinido ("fui") form when talking about the past:
- yesterday, last week, last month, or last year (or further back)
But then an example on the lesson page has this:
Ellos han visto el amanecer.
They saw the sunrise.
In this sentence, as with many of the quizzes, there is no way to know the context and so we have to follow the instructions as to which tense to use. Part of the fun of the quizzes is not reading the directions.
I think this is the root of the frustration here. Perhaps if more context were provided we could have a chance of answering without the addition direction needed.
I am trying to sort out the tenses in the following example from above:
Dejó el trabajo porque quería mejor sueldo.He left his job because he wanted a better salary.
The first verb (dejó) is preterito indefinido indicating a complete action in the past.
The second (quería) is preterito imperfecto.
I think this is because "he" probably had been wanting a better salary for a while before he left his job and it was an ongoing action. Is this the right way to think about this sentence?
Hola,
So with a specific date, is the construction
Desde hace + specific date + que + verb in preterite
Desde hace 2010 que terminé mis estudios
?
Gracias,
The instructions in the link say:
The choice of tense depends on whether the speaker is "still inside" the "unit of time" that's being used or implied:
Use the present perfect ("he ido") form when talking about the past:
- today, this week, this month, or this year
Use the indefinido ("fui") form when talking about the past:
- yesterday, last week, last month, or last year (or further back)
But then an example on the lesson page has this:
Ellos han visto el amanecer.
They saw the sunrise.
In this sentence, as with many of the quizzes, there is no way to know the context and so we have to follow the instructions as to which tense to use. Part of the fun of the quizzes is not reading the directions.
I think this is the root of the frustration here. Perhaps if more context were provided we could have a chance of answering without the addition direction needed.
Could it ever be correct to say "Compré un nuevo ordenador nuevo" to express that it was both new to me and brand new? If not, how would you express that. This can be confusing in English as well.
I am curious how this structure would work if the direct object is a pronoun, something like the following.
I had a beautiful beer mug. I accidentally dropped it.
Would the present subjunctive ever be permissible in these constructions or only the imperfect subjunctive?
The speaker said dió rather than dio.
Just a tad confusing although it probably happens in everyday speech.
Carmen estaba haciendo horas extra para poder comprar una cama...
I'm wondering if it is common to use two infinitives together, as in "para poder comprar"?
Thanks
Could we also use “un poco de” and “unos pocos” in this manner? Thanks.
Hola,
In one of the tests it mentions 'a lo Marilyn Monroe'. I was thinking this was a feminine example, so was expecting to see 'a la Marilyn...'
Could you expand on that, please?
Gracias,
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