V el 8 de octubre 2015 jueves las obras a la pizarra -el imperfecto y el preterito realidades 3

The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.

The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.

The imperfect tense is also used to "set the stage" for an event that occurred in the past.

Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.

The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.

Regular forms of the imperfect are formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:

Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect:

ser	ver	ir
era eras era éramos erais eran	veía veías veía veíamos veíais veían	iba ibas iba íbamos ibais iban

A verb is reflexive when the subject and the object are the same.

Here's another example of how a verb can be either reflexive or non-reflexive.

When a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

There is one reflexive verb you have been using since you began studying Spanish.

When you learned to conjugate regular verbs, you needed to learn a set of pronouns called "subject pronouns."

Ella lava el coche.

To learn to conjugate reflexive verbs, you need to learn a different set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns." These pronouns are positioned before the verb, while the ending "se" is dropped and the verb is conjugated normally.

lavarse

yo me lavo
I wash (myself)

tú te lavas
you wash (yourself) (informal)

él se lava
he washes (himself)

ella se lava
she washes (herself)

usted se lava
you wash (yourself) (formal)

nosotros nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves)

nosotras nos lavamos
we wash (ourselves) (feminine)

vosotros os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal)

vosotras os laváis
you-all wash (yourselves) (informal, feminine)

ustedes se lavan
you-all wash (yourselves)(formal)

ellos se lavan
they wash (themselves)

ellas se lavan
they wash (themselves) (feminine)

Ella se lava.

The reflexive pronouns are not subject pronouns; rather they are object pronouns.

The purpose of the reflexive object pronouns is to show that the action of the verb remains with the subject.

Note that many, many verbs can be made reflexive. All it means when a verb is reflexive is that the action remains with the subject.

Now add a flashcard for reflexive verbs:

Reflexive Verbs: Part II

You also learned that when a verb is reflexive, the infinitive ends in "se."

You should have memorized a set of pronouns called "reflexive pronouns."

You learned to conjugate reflexive verbs like this:

In the lesson titled Direct Object Pronouns Part III you learned that when there are two verbs, you have two options on where to place the pronoun: before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.

Great Law of Position of Object Pronouns

I want to see it. (querer, ver)
Lo quiero ver.
Quiero verlo.

Lo debemos comprar.
Debemos comprarlo.
We should buy it.

María nos debe visitar.
María debe visitarnos.
Mary should visit us.

Juan lo necesita lavar.
Juan necesita lavarlo.
John needs to wash it.

The same is true regarding reflexive pronouns. When the sentence has two verbs, the pronoun can be placed directly before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of the infinitive.

Whenever a verb directly follows a preposition, it remains in the infinitive form. For reflexive verbs, the ending -se changes to agree with the subject. Observe the differences in the following sentences, all of which are about counting burros before falling asleep.

ANTES + DE + infinitive

Antes de dormirme, yo cuento burros.

Antes de dormirte, tú cuentas burros.

Antes de dormirse, la chica cuenta burros.

Antes de dormirnos, nosotros contamos burros.

Antes de dormiros, vosotros contáis burros.

Antes de dormirse, los chicos cuentan burros.

In English, many verbs can be used transitively (with a direct object) or intransitively (without a direct object).

In Spanish, these intransitive constructions frequently employ the reflexive form.

Sometimes, the reflexive construction is used merely to emphasize who is performing the action of the sentence.

For some verbs, the meaning changes when they are used reflexively.

A few verbs are always used reflexively.

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Object Pronouns

Basic Spanish Pronouns Direct Object Pronouns First of all you must remember that a direct object in a sentence is the person, event or thing affected by the verb. The main difference between the use of the direct object pronouns in Spanish and English is their placement. While in English they substitute the direct object (and its article) and are placed where the original object was, in Spanish this pronoun is placed in front of the verb, replacing also any article used with the object previously.    Singular Plural Me (me) Nos (us) Te (you) Os (you [all]) *Lo/la (him/her/it) *Los/las (them: masculine/feminine/neuter) Le= you to a male in many Spanish-speakiing countries!!! Ejemplo- Le conozco….   *The pronouns 'le' are sometimes used as direct object pronouns. Its use carry some subtle differences in meaning.      Spanish English Direct object expressed (Tú) llevas el libro You take/carry the book  Direct object pronoun  (Tú) lo llevas You take/carry it  Direct object expressed  Ella rompe la silla She breaks the chair  Direct object pronoun  Ella la rompe She breaks it  Direct object expressed  Ustedes secuestran los perros You [all] kidnap the dogs  Direct object pronoun  Ustedes los secuestran  You [all] kidnap them  Direct object expressed  El interrumpe la fiesta He interrupts the party  Direct object pronoun  El la interrumpe He interrupts it

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The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object (DO) is going.

The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or "For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.

Sentences that have an indirect object usually also have a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn't work without a direct object.

Sometimes the direct object is not stated; rather it is implied, or understood.

To identify the indirect object use our two guidelines:

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  The IO tells us where the DO is going.
  
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  The IO answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom" the action of the verb is performed.
  

When a pronoun takes the place of the name of the indirect object, use the following pronouns:

In an affirmative statement with one verb, the indirect object pronoun comes immediately before the conjugated verb.

Now, focus in on one part of each of the previous examples:

Let's extract the IO phrase and its English equivalent:

Just like with the direct object, the indirect object presents a problem if one tries to translate word-for-word:

The key to learning to use the indirect object pronouns is the same as the key for direct object pronouns. You must learn to think in phrases, not words. The phrases consist of a pronoun and a conjugated verb. In the following examples, note that the IO remains the same, while the subject of the phrase changes.

The IO pronouns le and les present a special problem because they are ambiguous. That is, they can stand for different things.

The following sentences, while grammatically correct, are ambiguous:

Out of context, there is no way we can know the meaning.

Since le and les can mean more than one thing, a prepositional phrase is often added to remove the ambiguity.

Sometimes a prepositional phrase is added not for clarity, but rather for emphasis.

There is no ambiguity in the following sentence. It can only mean one thing.

The addition of a prepositional phrase merely adds emphasis.

Let's sum up the important points of this lesson:

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  The IO tells us where the DO is going.
  
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  The IO answers the question "to whom" or "for whom."
  
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  Sentences that have an IO usually also have a DO
  
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  Sometimes the DO is not stated, but rather is implied, or understood.
  
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  The IO pronouns are: me, te, le, nos, os, les.
  
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  Place the pronoun before the conjugated verb.
  
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  Think in phrases, do not translate word-for-word.
  
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  Le and les are ambiguous.
  
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  Prepositional phrases are often used for clarity and for emphasis.
  

Here are the direct object pronouns and the indirect object pronouns side by side:

When you have both a direct object pronoun and an indirect object pronoun in the same sentence, the indirect object pronoun comes first.

Whenever both pronouns begin with the letter "l" change the first pronoun to "se."

The reason for changing "le lo" to "se lo" is merely to avoid the tongue-twisting effect of two short consecutive words that begin with the letter "l". To demonstrate this, first quickly say "les las" and then quickly say "se las." See how much easier it is to say "se las?"

In negative sentences, the negative word comes directly before the first pronoun.

No se lo tengo.

I don't have it for you.

Nunca se los compro.

I never buy them for her.

Because the pronoun se can have so many meanings, it is often helpful to clarify it by using a prepositional phrase.

In sentences with two verbs, there are two options regarding the placement of the pronouns. Place them immediately before the conjugated verb or attach them directly to the infinitive.

Note that when attaching the pronouns to the infinitive, a written accent is also added to the final syllable of the infinitive. This preserves the sound of the infinitive.

When the pronouns are attached to the infinitive, make the sentence negative by placing the negative word directly before the conjugated verb.

Ella debe explicármelo.

Ella no debe explicármelo.

Quiero decírtelo.

No quiero decírtelo.

Necesitas enviársela a ellos.

No necesitas enviársela a ellos.

When the pronouns come before the conjugated verb, make the sentence negative by placing the negative word directly before the pronouns.