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A verb is one of the fundamental parts of speech in any language, including Spanish. It is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs are essential in constructing sentences because they indicate what the subject of the sentence is doing, experiencing, or being.
In Spanish there is an auxiliary verb par excellence which is the verb "haber", however, there are also other verbs that, depending on the context, are used as auxiliary and their function is to indicate the tense and the grammatical person of the sentence. Unlike English, in Spanish the pronoun is often omitted and this is because the verb itself indicates who and when the action occurs. For example: “No me dijeron la verdad” (They didn't tell me the truth), the verb "dijeron" is indicating that it is about "They" and that the action is in the past. So, in many cases, this function is fulfilled by auxiliary verbs.
In Spanish, verbs are classified into three moods: the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative. Each mood serves a specific function and contains its own set of tenses. The indicative mood, which we will focus on in this level, is used to express facts, statements, and actions that are considered true or real.
The indicative mood includes several tenses, both simple and compound, that allow speakers to talk about the present, past, future, and conditional situations. It is the most commonly used mood in everyday Spanish and is essential for basic communication.
In this beginner level, you will learn the most commonly used tenses in the indicative mood.
Understanding the tenses of the indicative mood
Understanding the tenses of the indicative mood
The indicative mood in Spanish is used to talk about facts, real events, or things that are true. The speaker can refer to these certain facts in four main tenses:
1. Presente simple (Present Simple)
This tense is used to talk about actions that happen permanently, general truths, or actions that happen right now.
Example: Yo hablo español (I speak Spanish)
2. Pretérito perfecto simple (Simple past tense)
This tense is used to describe actions completed in the past.
Example: I spoke with her yesterday.
3. Pretérito perfecto compuesto (Past perfect compound)
This tense is used to describe actions that occurred in the past. This past tense may or may not be immediate, but its most specific function is to indicate that the speaker makes the statement (or denial) only up to the moment he speaks, that is, what he affirms or denies is only valid up to that moment, but it can change at some point, for example, "I have eaten twice at that restaurant." (That means I can eat many more times, but I have done it twice as of the moment I am saying it.)
4. Pretérito imperfecto (Imperfect Past)
This tense describes past actions that were in progress, were habitual, but always from the perspective of the speaker, that is, it refers to actions that the speaker considers past from his current reality. Let me explain it better: "Era una ciudad donde había muchos parques"I (t was a city where there were many parks.) At first glance it is about the past, but the reality is that the parks continue to exist in that place, only that for the speaker it is part of his past. For this reason it is often used in narratives, both literary and real.
5. Futuro simple (Simple Future)
This tense is used to talk about actions that will happen in the future.
Example: I will talk to her tomorrow. (I will talk to her tomorrow.)
These tenses are essential for expressing actions in different time periods. If you master them, you will be able to communicate effectively in most situations.
Note: These tenses have the same usage with all verbs, therefore, I consider that repeating it with each verb may be repetitive and annoying.
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