Pretérito indefinido – the Past Simple tense and the article lo in Spanish

Una conversación

— Me es difícil aún de contestar a tantas preguntas, pero puedo decirle ya, que lo bueno es que me quedo aún en Madrid. He estado en el Museo del Prado y lo que he visto me ha encantado mucho. Es tan grande bajo todos sus aspectos.

— Entonces, hasta mañana.

Vocablos

Explanations

Meaning of words and expressions

The meaning of tanto

Tanto acts as an adverb (see lesson 18), but when combined with a noun, tanto functions as an adjective and agrees with it in gender and number. In this case, tanto translates as so many / so much.

Remember:

In Spanish, some adjectives are used in combination with the preposition de before a verb in the infinitive form.

Remember the expressions:

Grammar

1. Past Simple tense (Pretérito perfecto simple) of Conjugations I, II and III

The Past Simple tense (Pretérito perfecto simple), also called Pretérito indefinido, expresses a completed single or continuous action and points to the period of time when it took place, for example: yesterday, last year, etc., or describes a completed single action, for example: entered, closed the door, said, took, etc.

The Pretérito perfecto simple is usually translated into English using the Past Simple tense.

Conjugation of verbs in the Past Simple tense

Negative form

Interrogative form

Note: The verb llegar is conjugated as a regular verb, it only has an orthographic deviation in the 1st person singular, i.e., a silent u is placed after g (read: [ye'ge]).

Negative form

Interrogative form

2. Usage of the neuter article lo

The neuter article lo (artículo neutro) is placed before an adjective, possessive pronoun, or masculine ordinal number, which in a sentence is used instead of a noun. The article lo gives them an abstract meaning, for example:

Furthermore, lo is also a form of the personal pronoun used in the meaning of it/that.

As a pronoun, lo is used in the following cases:

• in the accusative case as a direct object pronoun pointing to a concept, event, or statement, for example:

  Tú sabes tocarlo, yo no lo sé.

  You know how to play it, but I don't know it.

  Aquí está el libro, yo lo sé.

  Here is the book, I know it.

• when it acts as the nominal part of a predicate expressed by a noun or an adjective:

  Este alumno es aplicado, yo no lo soy.

  This student is diligent, but I am not.

  ¿Eres mi amigo? Lo soy.

  Are you my friend? Yes, I am.

Exercises

I. Conjugate the verbs indicated below for the given persons in the Past Simple tense:

II. Put the verb given in brackets in the correct form, using the Past Simple tense:

Nosotros (entrar) en el café. ¿Qué (comprar) Vd. en esta tienda? ¿Con quién (hablar) (tú) en el teatro? ¿Qué (contestar) Vds. a esta pregunta? Ella (preguntar) y yo (contestar) . Ayer (trabajar) hasta las diez. ¿(comprar) Vd. un sombrero nuevo? Ayer Miguel (hablar) en español con sus amigos en el restaurante, donde (él) (beber) mucho vino con ellos y (comer) comida española.

III. Translate into English:

Encontré a mi amigo y hablé con él. Él regresó de Madrid ayer y me contó muchas cosas interesantes. Miguel compró en España muchas cosas para sus hermanas, hermanos y amigos. — ¿Y qué compraste para tus padres? — le pregunté. No contestó nada. — ¿Por qué no contestas? — le pregunté. — Porque no puedo. — Ya comprendo, no compraste nada. — Sí, compré sombreros para ellos, pero ahora no me gustan y también compré vino español, pero lo bebieron mis amigos. — Y no contestaste para no decirme esto. — Lo siento, pero era difícil de decirlo. — Bueno, ¿y a qué hora llegaste ayer? — A las nueve de la noche (tarde ).

IV. Translate into Spanish:

I have a Spanish friend. I write letters to him in Spanish. When I met him in Madrid, I spoke to him in Spanish. I like the Spanish language. My friend studies Russian. He says that the Russian language is very difficult. Yesterday I put the letters in the mailbox and now I don’t remember who I answered and who I didn’t. I have to write to everyone again. In one of my letters I invited my friend to Moscow.