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Video lesson

¡Cuántas cosas han cambiado! Los pasados (nivel avanzado)

Duration: 18:21 Published: 14 Jun 2021

More than a year after the start of the pandemic, Pilar talks with Lola and Hernán, two Tilde teachers, about how life and classes have changed. Their real conversation is full of past tenses.

¡Cuántas cosas han cambiado estos últimos meses a causa de la pandemia! En este vídeo hablamos de cómo nos hemos adaptado a la nueva situación al mismo tiempo que practicamos los pasados en español. En el vídeo comentamos el uso del Pretérito Perfecto - para acciones pasadas dentro de un contexto temporal presente-, y el uso del Pretérito Imperfecto -para expresar el contraste del ANTES con respecto al HOY.

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Key points

  • Pretérito perfecto for past actions within a present time frame: Muchas cosas han cambiado este año.
  • Pretérito imperfecto to contrast before and now: Antes teníamos clases presenciales y online; ahora, solo online.
  • The teachers already taught some students by Skype, so moving online was not so hard; what they missed was personal contact.
  • The profile of the students changed: fewer short intensive courses and more long, extensive ones.

Frequent doubts

Why han cambiado and not cambiaron?

Because the speaker sees the period (this year, these months) as still connected with the present. In Spain that is the job of the pretérito perfecto.

How does the imperfect express a contrast with the present?

It describes how things used to be, often with antes: Antes viajábamos más; ahora viajamos menos.

Is this video suitable for my level?

It is a real conversation of about 18 minutes at natural speed, recommended for advanced students. Intermediate students can watch it in short parts.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.

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