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What is the difference between the simple past (preterite) and the imperfect tense?

Spanish, unlike English, has two different past tenses, the simple past, or preterite, and the imperfect. The two have different meanings and are conjugated differently. A verb in the simple past means that ...
SB
Answered by Sebastian B. • Spanish tutor
29099 Views

What is the difference between "ser" and "estar"?

This is a tricky one. The rhyme I learned "how you feel and where you are - that is when you use estar!" is pretty useful, but I like to remember it based on whether the state of something can chan...
SL
Answered by Sophie L. • Spanish tutor
2318 Views

I do not understand when or when not to use the subjunctive in Spanish.

The Subjunctive in Spanish is not so much a tense, but rather a mood. It can be used to express subtleties in language that emphasise desires, wishes, hypotheses and uncertainty. In general, I would employ t...
JC
Answered by John C. • Spanish tutor
3569 Views

Nobody speaks Spanish at home. How can I practice on my own?

Vocab: Songs, TV, Films. To learn a word you have to see it, hear it and say it at least 5 times. Grammar: Read. Why? Because the more you see grammar in use, the more you will reproduce it in writing and sp...
FC
Answered by Felix C. • Spanish tutor
3752 Views

How do I use the imperfect subjunctive in an 'if' statement.

The imperfect subjunctive is paired with a conditional in order to show that the conditional could happen, if the imperfect subjunctive were true. Therefore the imperfect subjunctive is used in order to expr...
EH
Answered by Elliott H. • Spanish tutor
4070 Views