/spanishclass/ - Clase de Español

Maybe

"¿Ha comprado aquí antes?"

>>294

>>295 is bretty gud, but you can also use:

¿Es la primera vez que compra aquí? Is this your first time buying here? OR Is this the first time you've bought something here?

>>295

>comprado

**http://www.spanishdict.com/conjugate/comprar

Now i'm really confused. Guess I need to figure the meanings for each category (subjunctive, imperative, etc.).

>>299

comprado => bought

"¿Ha comprado aquí antes?" literally means "Have you purchased here before?" word-for-word, and I'd wager the translation is also correct.

It's not rocket science or anything.

>>305

My question is when to use each 'tense' of the verb, like in English. For the link I posted, you have subjunctive , indicative, perfect, perfect subjunctive, etc.

I got a feeling I shouldn't worry about that for now.

>>308

You can't just learn that from one day to the other.

There are some rules of thumb for the indicative. The subjunctive is a lot messier because English can't into subjunctive (i.e. it has no conjugations, so you have to look for certain cues).

Do note that tenses won't match all the time, and that one tense may translate to another depending on the context.

Also, for some god-forsaken reason, some tenses have several names (e.g. potencial simple -> condicional simple, pretérito indefinido -> pretérito perfecto simple)

Remember these are just rules of thumb.

indicative mood:

presente -> present simple

pretérito perfecto simple -> past simple

pretérito imperfecto -> past simple

estar(pret imperf.) + gerundio -> past continuous

pretérito perfecto compuesto -> present perfect (they're similar for the most part)

haber(presente) + estado + gerundio -> present perfect continuous

pretérito pluscuamperfecto -> past perfect

futuro imperfecto simple -> future simple (will)

ir(presente) + a + infinitive -> going to + verb / future simple (will) / present continuous(future) (the choice between the first two is mostly region dependent, though there are some marked differences if you bother to read on them. I threw the last one in because it exists)

future perfecto compuesto -> future perfect / going to + have + participle (not sure about the last one, but I'm including it just in case)

condicional simple -> would + verb / could + verb / might/may + verb (examine the context)

condicional compuesto -> would + have + participle / could + have + participle / may/might + participle (conext is your friend)

pretérito anterior has dropped so drastically in use that it's no longer taught. Hell, I don't even know how to use it. There are remnants of it in literature.

subjunctive:

More often than not, subjunctive tenses are preceded by 'que'

present:

1. I need/want you to say/do/bring… -> necesito/necesito que digas/hagas/traigas…

2. I hope/expect that you say… -> espero que digas…

3. I recommend/request/demand that you do… -> Le recomiendo/solicito/exijo que haga…

pretérito imperfecto

Often used with the second conditional:

If I had something to say, I would say… -> si tuviera/tuviese algo que decir, diría…

pretérito perfecto

Hard to find cases, but…

I hope (that) your gathering has been a success -> Espero que tu reunión haya sido exitosa

pretérito pluscuamperfecto

Often used for 3rd conditional:

If I had known, I would be elsewhere -> Si hubiera sabido, estaría en otro lado

futuro imperfecto

Used mostly min legalese. I'd say it serves the same role as the present subjunctive sans giving encouragement:

El que llegue a la meta primero recibirá un premio -> The first one to reach the goal shall receive a prize

El que llegare a la meta primero recibirá un premio -> The one who were to reach the goal first shall receive a prize

I don't know whether English has an actual equivalent to this tense or its perfect counterpart, so I just came up with a sentence that conveys a similar meaning

I believe those sentences is gramatically correct. Feel free to correct them

futuro perfecto

Just like the futuro imperfecto, its use abounds in legalese:

Those who were to have arrived late shall be sanctioned with a fine -> Aquellos que hubieren llegado tarde, serán sancionados con una multa

I think that just about covers everything. If I missed one, post about it.

>>312

I really want to say how appreciative how you and other anons have taken the time to help myself and others with learning this language.

Gracias.

>>313

No problem.

And now I remember that I forgot to include "shall".

Shall usually implies future. Will also works in the sentence below, but I used shall.

"I shall teach him a lesson" -> "Le voy a enseñar una lección"

"Both parties shall abide by the terms of the agreement" -> "Ambas partes deberán obedecer los terminos del acuerdo"

maybe abide by was a bit overkill. Follow is a viable alternative

Also, when making offers or suggestions, it usually turns into the present:

"Shall I turn on the heating?" -> "Quieres que encienda la calefacción?" Do you want me to turn on the heating?"

"Shall we begin?" -> "Empezamos?"(presente)

I also forgot to include should.

It normally means deber in the condicional simple. Should have + participle turns into deber(condicional simple) + haber + participle:

"You shouldn't do that" -> "No deberías hacer eso"

"Should I help her? -> "Debería ayudarla?" (a ella, as in, help her)

Should gets a lot tougher when you use it in non-standard ways, such as:

"Should you ever need something, you need only ring" -> Si alguna vez necesitas algo, sólo tienes que llamar"

yes, this is extremely hard to grasp for newcomers to either language

The 3rd conditional has an alternate form using should:

Had you not told me John had gone, I would still be looking for him -> If you hadn't told me John had gone, I would still be looking for him -> Si no me hubieras dicho que John se había ido, todavía lo estaría buscando.

I'm not sure whether that 'gone' is correct. Maybe 'left' would have fit better

>>312

so helpful but so much to learn..oy…