NARRATIVE TENSES

LOS TIEMPOS NARRATIVOS EN INGLÉS

Para contar historias chidas.

PASADO SIMPLE

Para formar el pasado simple en afirmativo, hay que usar la conjugación en pasado de los verbos. No importa el sujeto, los verbos en pasado simple no cambian, con la excepción del verbo be.

PASADO SIMPLE

El pasado simple se usa para hablar de acciones terminadas, que comenzaron y se completaron en algún punto en el pasado.

E.g. I went to the movies yesterday. We had pizza for lunch.

PASADO SIMPLE

Para formar oraciones en pasado simple en afirmativo, hay que usar la conjugación en pasado simple de los verbos. Cualquier verbo (excepto el verbo be) lleva siempre la misma forma en pasado, sin importar el sujeto.

I ate pizza.

You ate pizza.

She ate pizza.

They ate pizza.

PASADO SIMPLE

Para formar oraciones negativas en pasado simple, usamos el auxiliar DID y el adverbio NOT; al usar el verbo auxiliar, el verbo principal ya no se conjuga en pasado:

I did not (didn't) eat pizza.

She did not (didn't) eat pizza.

They did not (didn't) eat pizza.

Didn't es la contracción de did not.

PASADO SIMPLE

Para formar preguntas en pasado simple usamos el auxiliar did. La fórmula es:

DID + SUBJECT + VERB INFINITIVE

Did you read the book?

Did she read the book?

Did they read the book?

Igual que con la forma negativa, al usar el auxiliar did ya no se conjuga el verbo principal.

PASADO SIMPLE - VERB BE

El verbo be no utiliza los auxiliares did o didn't; tiene sus propias reglas.

She was at school yesterday.

She wasn't at school yesterday.

Was she at school yesterday?

They were at school yesterday.

They weren't at school yesterday.

Were they at school yesterday?

PASADO CONTINUO

El pasado continuo expresa acciones que estaban en progreso en un punto en el pasado. Pueden ser dos acciones que sucedían al mismo tiempo. A veces se refieren a acciones que estaban sucediendo y que fueron interrumpidas por otras acciones. Cuando esto pasa, la acción que es interrumpida se expresa en pasado continuo, y la que interrumpe en pasado simple.

PASADO CONTINUO - ESTRUCTURA

Para formar el pasado continuo, usamos el pasado del verbo be, y el verbo principal siempre tiene la terminación -ing:

SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + VERB ING

I was reading a book last night.

They were playing video games.

He was having dinner at 7.00.

She was doing homework while I was watching TV.

PASADO CONTINUO - NEGATIVO

Para formar oraciones negativas en pasado continuo, añadimos el adverbio not:

I was not playing online last night.

She was not chatting to her friends.

They were not doing homework.

He was not watching videos.

La contracción de was not es wasn't, y la de were not es weren't.

PASADO CONTINUO - PREGUNTAS

Para formar preguntas en pasado continuo, cambiamos de lugar la posición del verbo be:

Were you doing homework?

Was she reading last night?

Were they playing tennis?

Was he talking on the phone?

Why was she making dinner?

ACCIONES INTERRUMPIDAS

Como decíamos, el pasado continuo puede expresar acciones que estaban en progreso y fueron interrumpidas.

She was having coffee when she got a text from her boyfriend.

Es importante distinguir entre un tiempo gramatical y otro; a veces compararlos con español funciona: Ella estaba tomando café cuando recibió un mensaje de su novio.

PASADO PERFECTO

Al pasado perfecto se le conoce como el pasado en el pasado. Se trata de acciones en el pasado que se terminaron o completaron ANTES de otra acción, también en el pasado. Este tiempo es relativamente fácil de recordar, porque tiene la misma forma sin importar el sujeto.
La estructura es:

SUBJECT + HAD + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE

She had already finished college before she applied for a job.

PASADO PERFECTO - PREGUNTAS

La forma interrogativa del pasado perfecto es la siguiente:

HAD + SUBJECT + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + ?

Had you seen the movie before you wrote the review?

PASADO PERFECTO - NEGATIVO

La forma negativa del pasado perfecto es la siguiente:

SUBJECT + HAD + NOT (HADN'T) + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE

I hadn't read the instructions before I handed in my homework.

TELLING STORIES

Cuando contamos historias, anécdotas, algo que nos pasó, usamos mucho estos tiempos gramaticales:

Yesterday, I was listening to music when my friend called me. He wanted me to help him with his homework, because he had not done it. I was not doing my homework at the moment, so I told him I was busy. He was playing video games while he was talking to me! He told me he had forgotten the homework and now it was too late!

Multiple Choice

¿Para qué usamos el pasado perfecto?

• Para acciones que estaban sucediendo en un punto en el pasado.

• Para acciones que comenzaron y terminaron en un punto en el pasado.

• Para acciones en el pasado, antes de otra acción en el pasado.

Multiple Choice

¿Para qué usamos el pasado simple?

• Para acciones que estaban sucediendo en un punto en el pasado.

• Para acciones que comenzaron y terminaron en un punto en el pasado.

Multiple Choice

¿Cómo se forma una pregunta en pasado simple?

• SUBJECT + DID + VERB INFINITIVE

• DID + SUBJECT + VERB INFINITIVE

• DID + SUBJECT + VERB INFINITIVE + ?

Multiple Choice

¿Cómo se forma una oración negativa en pasado simple?

• DID + VERB INFINITIVE + NOT

• SUBJECT + NOT + DID + VERB INFINITIVE

• SUBJECT + DID + NOT + VERB INFINITIVE

Multiple Choice

¿El verbo be necesita el auxiliar did para preguntas y negativos en pasado simple?

• No.

• Sí.

Multiple Choice

¿Cuál es la estructura correcta de una pregunta en pasado continuo?

• She was going to the dentist when I saw her?

• Was she going to the dentist when I saw her?

• Did she going to the dentist when I saw her?

Multiple Select

¿Qué usos tiene el pasado continuo? Selecciona las que apliquen.

• Acciones que se terminaron el pasado.

• Acciones que fueron interrumpidas.

• Dos acciones que estaban sucediendo al mismo tiempo en el pasado.

Multiple Select

Choose the correct sentence.

• By the time I had arrived, my brother left.

• By the time I arrived, my brother had left.

• By the time I had arrived, my brother had left.

Multiple Select

Choose the correct sentence.

• Before I started working, I was finished my degree.

• Before I had started working, I had finished my degree.

• Before I started working, I had finished my degree.

Multiple Select

Choose the correct sentence.

• When the teacher arrived, the students had finished the assignment.

• When the teacher arrived, the students finish the assignment.

• When the teacher had arrived, the students had finished the assignment.