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Preterite/Imperfect Half-Truths: Problems with Spanish Textbook Rules for Usage
Author(s): Diana Frantzen
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Source: Hispania, Vol. 78, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), pp. 145-158
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
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PEDAGOGY: COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
Preparedby Dolly Young
Preterite/llmperfect Half-Truths:
Problems with Spanish Textbook Rules for Usage
DianaFrantzen
Indiana University
AbstractPreterite/imperfect
of beingoneof thehardestgrammatical
featuresof
usagehasthereputation
differences
inthe
Spanishtolearn.Whilethisis partlyduetothefactthatEnglishdoesnotindicateaspectual
samewaySpanishdoes,someof theblamelieswithmisleading
textbookexplanations
whichoftenareonly
atbest.A discussionof problematic
showswhythe presentation
of a
P/I textbookexplanations
half-truths,
morereliable,simplerset of principles
serveas a preferable
alternative
to theproblematic
rulesof thumb.
Key Words: preterite,imperfect,aspect,Spanish,grammarrules,rules of thumb,meaningchange,context,
half-truth
Introduction
The preterite/imperfect(P/I) distinction
is a late-acquiredfeature of Spanish (van
Naerssen,Frantzen,Harrison)whichis difficultfor languagelearnerswhose firstlanguage is English, in partbecause English
does notsignalaspectualchoicein the same
way Spanishdoes. Consequently,learners
must be trainedto view actionsdifferently.
Textbookexplanationsare partlyto blame
for the difficulty students have with this
conceptbecausein theirattemptsat capturing the P/I distinction,they often provide
confusing,unreliable,and even inaccurate
explanations.
Evenafterlearnersunderstandthe basic
P/I differences,they continue to struggle
with the distinction. Part of the difficulty
stems from the fact that differentpeople
may view the same events from different
perspectivesand,consequently,capturethe
different perpectives by using either the
preteriteor imperfect.As Lunnpoints out,
"Bothlanguage-learnersand linguists are
likely to experience initial difficultywith
preteriteand imperfect,because the factis
that most past-tense situationscan be described using either aspectuallabel"(50).
Ozete makes a similarpoint:"Withoutbeing contradictory,a speakercould refer to
the same incidentin one instancewith the
preteriteandin anotherwiththe imperfect"
(687).Evenwhen specificcontextsareprovided,some areambiguousenoughto allow
nativespeakersto optfor eitheraspect,acofthe context
cordingto theirinterpretation
(Garciaandvan Putte).
Textbookstend to presentrules for P/I
usage as absolutes and do not adequately
explain the perspective issue. Consequently, when students encounter "evidence"--oralandwritteninput-that apparently contradicts the rules, they become
confusedandfrustrated.
Problems with Rules
Althoughprovidingstudentswith rules
explainingcertaingrammaticalfeaturesof
a languageis clearlybeneficial,giving too
many rules can be confusing.Chastainasserts that "Extensiveexplanationsreplete
with lengthy discussions of all the minor
nuances and rare exceptions may accomplish littleotherthanto convinceallexcept
the most intellectuallygifted that tryingto
comprehendgrammaris a hopeless waste
of time"(162).Herschensohnobservesthat
"Pedagogicalgrammarstoo often explain
the target language in a complicatedand
exception ridden format which requires
pedagogicalenergy on the partof teacher
andstudent"(411).She characterizesgood
146 HISPANIA78 MARCH1995
grammarexplanationsas follows:"Aconcise and linguistically accurate grammar
presentationattemptsto mimic the native
speaker'sknowledge of the language,and
to use the simplest and most economical
descriptionavailable"(411).
Garrett discusses the problems that
"rulesof thumb"can cause when learners
misapplythe rulesbecausethey do notfully
understandthem.As one example,she cites
a typicalexplanationgivenin Germangrammar textbooks for making the choice between accusative and dative cases. Texts
state thatthe accusativecase must be used
afterthe prepositionwith verbs of motion
that signal movement from one place to
another.As Garrettnotes,this is trueon the
face of it, buterrorsoccurbecausestudents
often focus on only one partof this rule of
thumb-the verb of motionpart-and forget the directionalityportion;thus, they incorrectlyuse the accusativewithverbs that
showmotion,butnotdirectionality(e.g.,"to
skip" and "to struggle") (142). Learners
becomeconfusedbecausetextbooksdo not
stress thatfor the rule to be true, both features of the verb-motion and directionality-must be presentforthe accusativecase
to be used.
As Garrett's example shows, with all
grammarexplanations,whetherthey originate from a textbook or a teacher,it is importantto anticipatethe ways thatstudents
mightmisinterpretthem.A good grammar
explanationshould be unambiguous,reliable, succinct,and easy to remember.
Procedure
The P/I explanationsprovidedin 30 college Spanishtextbooksandgrammarreference books were examined to determine
what types of explanationswere problematic. There were 11 beginning-level, nine
intermediate-, and 10 advanced-level books.
All the beginning and intermediate texts,
and most of the advanced ones, are the most
recent editions of currently-used texts, all
published in the 1990s. The four "vintage"
advanced-level books, also in their most
recent editions, were published much ear-
lier than the other texts: one in the 1950s,
one in the 1960s,one in the 1970s,and one
in the 1980s.Majorpublishinghouses published all the textbooks and all are widely
available.
While many texts containedessentially
good explanations, even these were frequentlylaced with half-truthsof six types.
The Table shows that none of the 30 textbooks containedall six of the problematic
rules of thumb and that only one-an advancedtext-did nothave anyof them.The
textbooks need not be identifiedbecause
they aretypicalof problematicexplanations
that are widespread.In addition,the purpose here is not to critique specific textbooks but ratherto pointout the inadequacies containedin typicalSpanishtextbook
rules of thumbfor P/I usage. Alternateexplanationswill be proposedto replace the
faultyrules of thumb.These will consist of
a set of broaderprinciplesfewerin number
and more reliablethan the defective ones
of the textbooks.
The list that follows contains common
rules of thumbfor P/I usage which are either close paraphrasesor verbatimquotes
takenfromexplanationsprovidedin several
of the textbooksexamined.1
1) 'The imperfectdescribesemotionalor
mentalactivity."
2) "Theimperfectis used to express repeated or habitualpast action."
3) "Would+ infinitive"signals use of the
imperfect.
4) "Certainwords and expressions are
frequentlyassociatedwith the preterite,
others with the imperfect."
5) "Someverbs take on a special meaning in the preteritetense."
6) "When two actions occur simultaneously in the past, the imperfect is
used."
Undoubtedly, all teachers of Spanish
have used several-if not all-of these explanations when presenting P/I distinctions. The rules, however, mislead students
because they are only "half-truths." Because they are only sometimes true, when
PEDAGOGY: COLLEGESAND UNIVERSITIES 147
studentsdiscoverthe rulesto be unreliable,
they often feel confused-even deceived.
Some of the aforementionedP/I rules of
thumb should be entirely eliminated because they are so unreliableas to be virtually false. Others should be modified and
used in conjunctionwith a few basic principlesthatencompassnearlyall of P/I uses.
examined-three beginning,fourintermediate, and two advanced-presented this
ruleof thumb. The claimthatthe imperfect
is used with verbs of emotion and mental
activityis onlyhalftrue.Itis trueif the emotion or mental activity is ongoing or in
progress at the momentbeing focused on,
as in the followingexamples.
1) Ana estabacontentamientrasleia la
cartade su novio.
2) Carlospensabaensus padrescuando,
de repente,aparecieron.
3) Creiamos que Paco llegaria muy
pronto.
Preterite/Imperfect Principles
The above-mentioned rules of thumb
suggest that there are special cases to be
consideredin decidingwhichaspectto use,
but in reality,only a small set of principles
governs P/I usage. Once students can
handle the basic principles, they will be
equippedwiththe necessaryknowledgeto
make aspectualchoices in the majorityof
contextswithouthavingto rely on English
translationsor to relyon specific-caserules.
The recommended P/I principles are as
follows:
A specialruleof thumbforverbs of emotional and mental activityis unnecessary
because these cases arealreadycoveredby
Principlela, whichindicatesthatthe imperfect is used to express actions or states in
progress. The "ongoingness"principleis
preferableto this rule of thumbbecause it
encompasses all types of verbs, not just
verbs of emotionand mentalactivity.
The following five sentences demonstrate why Rule of Thumb #1 is only half
true. In the first two sentences, the preterite has been appropriately
used with a verb
of emotion;in the last three, with mental
process verbs. The parentheticalnotes indicatewhetherthe preteriteusage focuses
on the beginning of an action or on its
completion:
1) The imperfectisused for
a) actionsand states in progress at
some focused pointin the past,
b) habitualpast actions,
c) repetitiouspast actions,
d) anticipated/plannedpast actions.
2) The preteriteis used to focus on
a) the completionof past actionsor
states,
b) the beginningof past actionsor
states."
Textbooks alreadyuse variationsof these
principles, along with the other rules of
thumb that are largelyunnecessary,since
these few principlessufficientlyexplainthe
vast majorityof the "special"P/I uses that
the rules of thumb address.The following
sectionsdiscusseach of the six "half-truths"
andproposeP/I principlesas replacements.
1) Me entusiasmeal oir las noticias. (beginning)
2) Davidestuvocontentoporun ratohasta
que volvi6 a pensar en el accidente.
(completion)
3) CuandoTomasvio a una mujeren un
vestido rojo,fensd en su novia. (beginning)
4) Carlospensden su noviatodo el dia.
Problematic P/I Rules of Thumb
(completion)
5) Durante sus afios en la universidad,
David no creyden Dios. (completion)
(1) The Imperfect is Used with Verbs of
Emotion and Mental Activity
When students encounter these types of
As the Table shows, nine of the books
confused and frustratedif they have learned
sentences, it is naturalfor them to become
148 HISPANIA78 MARCH1995
that emotions and mentalactivitiesare ex- example,the verbs do not indicatehabitual
pressed using the imperfect.If the imper- action (Principlelb) because actions that
fect-used-with-verbs-of-emotion/mental-acoccur on one daycannotbe consideredhais
the
bitual
or customary;nor do they indicatea
rule
used
as
guiding principle,
tivity
these five examplesmust be treatedas vio- single action in progress (Principle la).
lations of that rule. In contrast,if the P/I Rather,they indicaterepetitiveor repetitious
principlesarefollowed,these sentences do actions (Principleic).
not haveto be consideredexceptionsto any
SoldandSole characterizethese types of
rules.They areallgovernedby the P/I prin- actions as "repeatedongoing events"(64).
ciple:sentences 2, 4, and 5 by Principle2a One of theirexamplesof this kind of action
is: "Losinvitadosllegabanunostrasotros.El
and sentences 1 and 3 by Principle2b.
In sum, because the broaderP/I Prin- anfitridnlos kacia pasa?' (65). In reality,
ciplesnot onlyexplainthe ruleof thumbbut Principlela could be stretchedto accomoand because the "vio- datesituationssuchas this (asSole andSole
also the "violations,"
lations"can create confusion, this rule of do); however, maintaining two separate
thumbshouldbe eliminatedfromtextbook principlesis conceptuallysimpler.
In sum, because Rule of Thumb #2 is
and classroomexplanations.
only halftrue,the recommendationhere is
that
to
it be kept but modified.The word "reIs
Used
The
(2)
Express
Imperfect
Action
Past
or
Habitual
peated"should be avoided because of its
Repeated
imprecisionbut it cannotbe eliminatedalMost textbooks have an explanation together,since it is necessaryto accountfor
similarto Rule of Thumb #2 in which the repeated actions that are not habitualbut
terms "repeated"and "habitual"are used whose repetition-and not completion-is
together in the same sentence. Of the 30 focused upon. Instead,terms such as "rebooks examined, 17 used the term "re- petitive"or "repetitious"should be used.4
peated"in theirexplanation.Whilethe "ha- Finally,RuleofThumb#2 shouldbe divided
and
bitual"referenceis accurate,the term "re- intotwo separaterules since "habitual"
same.
not
the
actions
are
it
is
because
a
is
(See
ambigu- "repetitive"
peated" problem
ous and can cause confusion. Depending P/I Principleslb and ic.)
uponthe way in which repeatedactionsare
characterized,they maybe expressedusing (3) "Would + Infinitive" Signals Use of
either preteriteor imperfect.For example, the Imperfect
if a certain number of repetitionsis menThree English verbalconstructionsare
tioned, whether one or one hundred, the
exin
the
as
is
typicallygiven as English structures that
following
preterite used,
The
veces.
a
su
signal the use of the imperfect:1) "was/
despackodiez
ample:Fui
+ verb-ing,"2) "usedto + infinitive,"
were
in
this
of
the
use
the
for
reason
preterite
and
is
of
the
actions
that
the
is
case
3) "would+ infinitive."While "was/
completion
+ verb-ing"is a completely reliable
nawere
their
than
rather
stressed
repetitious
habitual
a
be
cannot
this
since
predictorof imperfectusage and"usedto +
ture.Clearly,
or customaryaction,the imperfectcannot infinitive"is quite reliable,"would+ infinitive"is not because of its ambiguity.The
be used.
Because of the imprecision of the term problemwith "would"will be discussed is
"repeated," one might be inclined to consider entirely omitting the reference to "repeated" actions and simply using the term
"habitual" or "customary." Can this be
done? To answer this question, consider the
following example: El telefono sonaba cada
vez que Enrique intentaba acostarse. In this
some detail, after a brief discussion of the
other two structures.
"Was/were + verb-ing" consistently sig-
nals use of the imperfectbecause it is used
in English to indicate past actions in
progress. Because of its reliability, its inclusion in textbook explanations is valuable.
PEDAGOGY:
AND UNIVERSITIES
149
COLLEGES
However,it is not sufficientto pointoutthat
stay afterschool to help the teacher.
this structurealwayssignals the use of the
While each sentence contains the word
imperfect. The underlying reason-P/I
"would,"
Principlela-should be emphasized.
only#4 wouldbe renderedin Span"Usedto + infinitive"is nearlyas reliable ish with the imperfectbecause it indicates
as "was/were + infinitive."As long as it is habitualpast actions (Principlelb). When
used to signal habitualor customarypast "would"is the conditionalmodal verb in
actions, it signals imperfect usage. How- English,as in the first three examples,the
ever, "usedto"can also signal completion, conditionalis also used in Spanish.While
indicatingwhatused to be but no longer is. it is typical for textbooks to indicate that
As DominicisandReynoldsexplain,"When "would"is a signallingdeviceforthe imperthis is the case, the stress is on the ending fect,the explanationof this essentialdistincof the actionandthe preteritemustbe used" tion is usuallynot provided-if at all-until
(8). They provide the following example the conditionaltense is explained.Fifteen
and English translationto illustratetheir of the 30 textbooksexaminedused "would"
point:"Mipadre
fe profesordeespa?ol,pero as partof theirexplanationof the imperfect
akoraes comercdante./My
fatherused to be withoutincludinga "warning"
aboutits cona Spanishteacherbuthe is nowa merchant" ditional usage. Of these 15 books, seven
(8). Including"usedto"as a signallingde- eventually did clarifythis as part of their
vice for the imperfectdid not seem to be explanationfor the conditionaltense, but
problematicin the 30 textbooks examined eight neverdidprovidea clarification.Two
because, althoughnearly all of them-27: additionaltexts (identifiedin the Table as
10 beginning, seven intermediate, 10 ad- "V3"99)
also used "would"as a signallingdevanced- mentioned"usedto"in their ex- vice but they contrasted conditional and
planations and/or examples, they made habitualusage of "would"in their explanaclear that habitual or customary actions tions of the imperfect.Because they prowere intended.Onlytwo of the books (both vided immediateclarification,they are not
advanced)includedan explanationlike the consideredproblematic.
Dominicis and Reynoldsone above which
When "would"is given as a signalling
shows "used to" signalling the endpoint. device for use of the imperfect,if no referWhilethis usage maybe rare,itwouldseem ence is made to the conditional use of
prudentfor textbooks to supplementtheir "would,"some studentsmayget the impres"usedto"explanationsby addingreference sion thatthe one wayto express "would"in
to this fact in a footnote.
Spanishis by using the imperfect.So that
Unlike the consistently reliable "was/ studentswill not have to "unlearn"
or relax
were + verb-ing"structure and the quite the would-imperfectassociationwhen they
reliable"usedto + infinitive,"
the otherEng- get to the conditional explanation, textlish verbal construction-"would + infini- books shouldmakea briefreferenceto the
tive"-does not consistentlysignalthe use non-habitualuse of "would"in English, at
of the imperfect. The problem with the least by referringto the conditionalexpla"would"structureis thatit is ambiguous.It nationthat occurs laterin the text. In addiis used in Englishbothforconditionalstate- tion, a set of contrastingsentences in Engments and for habitual past actions. The lish, similarto those given above,shouldbe
followingfour English sentences illustrate provided to show the differences, along
this ambiguity:
withan exerciseinwhichstudentswouldbe
asked to decide which English sentences
1) If I were you, I would do it right now. indicatedhabitualactions-and wouldthus
2) I wouldlendyou the moneybutI don't take the imperfect-and which did not.
have it.
In summary,ratherthan simplyindicat3) I said I woulddo it when I returned. ing that "would+ infinitive"signalsthe use
4) When I was in third grade, I would of imperfect,it must be made explicit that
150 HISPANIA78 MARCH1995
this structuresignals the use of the imperfect only when referringto habitual past
actions(Principleib). Alongwiththe explanation,it is importantto supplycounter-examplesand explanationsof the conditional
use of "would+ infinitive."Studentswillnot
necessarilybe able to do this on their own.
(4) Preterite/Imperfect Usage with Certain Expressions
la tareaparael lunes.
*Hicemi tareaporla mafiana./Ayer,por
la mafiana,caminabaporla calle cuando
viel accidente./De nifia,hacia mi tarea
por la mafiana.
*Susana nacid en 1965./En 1965, aunque s61lotenia 16 afios, Davidya asistia
a la universidad.
*Carlosestudidporuna horay luego se
acost6./De nifio, Daniel lea por una
hora antes de acostarse.
Textbooks often providelists of certain
phrases and claim they signal the use of
preteriteor imperfect.As the Table shows,
while these lists were fairlycommonin the
beginning and intermediatebooks exambooksalmostnever
ined,the advanced-level
provided them. Apparently,authors consider the lists helpfulfor lower-levellearners, as they build their understandingof
aspectualdifferences,but once they have
reachedsome level of competence,they are
no longer needed. However,the dangeris
that althougha few of the phrases are reliablesignallingdevicesforaspectualchoice,
most arenot. Considerthe explanationprovided in one first-yeartextbook: "Certain
wordsandphrasesareoftenassociatedwith
the preterite since they indicate a limited
time period.These phrases tell when the
action startedand/or stopped."Below is a
portionof the list that accompaniedtheir
explanation:
Althoughit is true that a few of the listed
expressions (e.g.,por dos aWos),would not
likely be used in the imperfect,by the time
all the unreliable expressions are eliminatedfromthe list,whatremainsis scarcely
a list. Insteadof attemptingto createa completelyreliablelist-which maynot be possible-learners should be encouraged to
rely on the P/I principlesbecause they will
be equippedwiththe necessaryinformation
to analyze each context they encounter.
They will not need to rely on a memorized
list of phrases that might or might not occur to determinewhich aspect to use.
An additionalexamplewill demonstrate
the inadvisabilityof providingthis type of
list.Anotherfirst-yeartextprovidesthe typical list withthe heading'"Timeexpressions
often associatedwith the preterite"which
includes,amongotherexpressions,anocke
and el a-o pasado.Then, on the very next
page,a pasttense passagein Spanishis profor students to study preterite and
vided
+
+
a
time:
la(s) hour;
*a specific
*a general time:por la maanana
imperfectusage. The first sentence in the
de
*a date:elmaites/ei25dejunio 1817/ passage includes anocheused with a verb
en 1965;elmespasado,tarde/temprano/ in the imperfectas well as one in the pretpronto/despuds/luego/ayer/anteayer/ erite: "Anoche (1) miraba la televisi6n
cuando (2) oiun reportajeespecial."Three
anoche
*a certainamountof time:pordos afos/ pages later,there is an exercise which contains the phrase elaao pasado used with a
por una hora/porcincomeses
verb in the imperfect: "eTrabajaba o
As these exAlmost all of these expressions can be used estudiabausted elanfopasado?"
with either preterite or imperfect verbs,
depending upon the context. The set of contrasting sentences provided below illustrates how each phrase can be used with
both a preterite and an imperfect verb.
*Alas ocho
meacosted./Alas
ocho ya leia
amples show, expressions such as anoche, el
afopasado, ayer,etc., are no more associated
with the preterite than they are with the
imperfect. This type of list should not be
provided. Its message is not even half true.
The expressions that texts commonly list
as ones usually associated with the imper-
PEDAGOGY:
COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
151
fect (e.g., siempre,cada dia, todoslos lunes,
generalmente,etc.) are indeed more often
used with the imperfectthanwith the preterite,and,as such,morestatisticallyreliable
than those associated with the preterite.
However, the fact remains that they are
unreliable predictors of imperfect usage.
Contextsin whichcompletionof the events
is stressed over their habitualnessrequire
thatpreteritebe used. Considerthe following two examples.
In the first paragraphof "Lasefiorita
Bibiana," a short story by Ana Maria
Matute,siempreis used with the preterite:
"Teniaya muyrebasadoslos treintaa-os y
el aire severoe intolerante.Pero todosen el
pueblodecian que a los veinte,a los veinticinco,a los treinta... siempretuvoel mismo
aspecto"(58).
The second example shows the use of
the phrase todoslos diaswith the preterite:
"Fula Valenciay mientrasestuvealli comil
paella todoslos dias"(Quilter99).
Several of the textbooks that provided
lists like these in the initialpresentationof
preterite or imperfect subsequently informedstudentsof the "realtruth."For example,the first-yeartextbookquotedin the
firstparagraphof this section laterpointed
out,
Althoughyou have learnedthat certainphrases are
generally associated with a particulartense, these
phrases do not automaticallysignal the use of that
tense.... The use of the imperfect or preterite is
determinedby context of the entire sentence, not by
one word or phrase.
One wonders why the lists were provided
in the first place.
As has been shown, lists of expressions
that supposedlysignal use of the preterite
are completely unreliable; it is recommended here that they not be includedin
textbook explanations.While the phrases
typicallyassociated with imperfectusage
areprobablystatisticallymorereliablethan
the ones associatedwith the preterite,exceptions occur often enough to limit the
value of such a list. If the underlyingP/I
principlesare emphasized,a list is unnecessary.
(5) Some Verbs Take on a Special
Meaning in the Preterite Tense
There is a small set of verbs that most
textbooks highlight as having "different
meanings"when used in the preterite.5For
example,most textbooksexplainthatin the
preterite,conocermeans"met"(not"knew"),
sabermeans"foundout"(not"knew"),
querer
means "tried"(not "wanted"),no querer
means "refused"(not "didnot want"),tener
means "received"(not "had"),podermeans
"managedto" (not "could"),etc. Of the 30
textbooks reviewed, three of the eleven
first-yeartexts, one of the nine intermediate texts, and two of the 10 advancedtexts
did not discuss the conceptof the so-called
meaning change verbs. Three of the advanced books discussed-but rejectedthe notionthatthese verbs belong to a special category;therefore,they were counted
as not having this problematic rule of
thumb.
Whileit is not harmfulto statethatsaber
in the preteriteis ofen expressedin English
as "foundout,"etc.,it is crucialto stressthat
these verbs are not unlike "normal"verbs
whenused in the preterite.In each case, the
preterite of "meaning-change"verbs focuses on the beginning or the end of the
action or statejust as it does with "normal"
verbs (Principles2a and 2b). However,the
contentionthat "someverbs take on a special meaningin the preterite"is misleading
because it suggests that the changes in
meaning always occur. In reality,they do
not applyin all contexts.
Some researchers (e.g., Bull, and
Quilter) seriously question the special
meaning designation for these verbs.
Quiltercites threereasonswhythey should
not be viewed as special:
It is true that the English equivalenciesfor these
verbs do at times deviatefromwhatwe wouldexpect
giventhe citationformin the dictionary.Butdoes this
fact mean these verbs are somehow 'special'in the
sense of 'irregular'or 'unusual,'behavingdifferently
fromotherverbs?Threeconsiderationsshouldmake
us suspiciousaboutthe claimof exception:(a) native
speakersdonotappearto noticeanyconsistentshared
differencebetweenthe pastnessofformsliketuveand
supeandthat of hablior corn (b) ... 'special'preter-
152 HISPANIA78 MARCH1995
This differencemaybe explainedby the
factthat,at least in some cases (e.g. conocid
andsupo),those who claimthatthe special
Bull explains the P/I distinction for preterites signal the end of the action are
these-and all-verbs in termsof cyclicand relying on the English translations (met,
non-cyclicevents.A non-cyclicevent is one foundout)whereasthose who contendthat
that,once initiated,canbe extendedindefi- they signal the beginningof the actionare
nitely (such as walking);a cyclic event is not ("the beginning of knowing" [Bull
one that once it takes place, stops and can- 170]). Bull explains this difference thus:
notbe extendedindefinitely(suchas sitting "The two cultures are looking at reality
down). (Bull1965,168-70,presentsa more through different windows and from a
thorough discussion of cyclic and non-cy- frameof referenceof differentlogics"(170).
clic events.) Bull maintainsthe following: WhatBull does not address-and Sol6 and
It maybe said, now, in recapitulation,that at RP [the Sole, and Guitart,do-is the abilityfor the
retrospectiveaxis]the Imperfectdescribesthe imper- preteriteto be used to focus on the endpoint
fective aspect of either cyclic or non-cyclicevents of any type of action,not just cyclic events.
(morta,caminaba)whilethe Preteriteis usedin speakThe followingexamples show why this
ing of the terminativeaspect of cyclic events or the rule of thumb-that certainverbs change
sefiae
initiativeaspect of non-cyclicevents (A la umna
meaning in the preterite-is only partially
Elpresidentehablda la una). (169)
true. The key issue here is that there are
excontexts in which the "meaningchange"
Bull
a
this
as
continues,
basis,
Using
do nothavethe specialmeanings;that
be
verbs
need
not
like
verbs
saber
plainingwhy
treateddifferently:
is, they wouldbest be translatedinto English
using the "normal"meaning of the inThis formulationeliminatesthe need forspecialrules
As Dominicis and Reynoldspoint
finitive.
To
etc.
dealing with supo/sabia, conocid/conocia,
know,in the sense of possessing knowledge,and to out when discussing the meaning change
know in the sense of being acquaintedwith, have all verbs, "Sometimesthe preterites of these
the characteristics of non-cyclic events. Both are verbs retaintheir
originalmeanings."They
definableattheirinceptionandbothmaybe extended
the
exampleandtranslafollowing
indefinitely.It follows, then, that saberand conocer provide
ibas a triunfar./I
tion:
The
events.
other
que
"Siempresupe
differ in no way from
non-cyclic
Preterite(sufo,conocio)indicatesinitiativeaspect(the always knew that you were going to sucbeginning of knowing, in either sense) while the ceed" (12). While the followingdiscussion
Imperfect (sabia, conocia) describes the event in will center on querer,saber, conocer,and
progress. (169-70)
tener,the same type of analysis applies to
verbs of this set.
other
the
researchers
explain
Interestingly,
of the authors of the textbooks
Some
verbs
differset
of
this
with
preteriteusage
for this paper have seemingly
examined
the
from
seen
have
we
As
previous
ently.
that
of
this
verbs
the
that
contends
Bull
by the time the specialmeanforgotten
citation,
are presented, their books
the
in
the
used
when
ing
preterites
preterite,signal
set,
have
on
and
events.
of
the
practicewith some
provided
already
Sole,
beginning
Sol6
the otherhand,explainthatwith "non-con- of the "meaningchange"verbs in the pretclusiveevents"(whichcorrespondto Bull's erite,butwithoutthe specialmeanings!For
"non-cyclicevents"), "the preteritmay ei- example,in one first-yeartext, a contrastive
ther refer to the moment of its beginning, preterite/imperfectchartwas providedin
or to the end of the event, which coincides whichit was indicatedthatquerermeans"to
withits termination"(58).Similarly,Guitart try" when used in the preterite and "to
argues that "the contrast between PRET want"when used in the imperfect.An obandIMPis the same in speakingof comple- servantstudent might ask why the pretertive (cyclic)occurrencesas it is in speaking ite of querersuddenlymeans "tried"when,
of extendable (noncyclic) occurrences" in the previouschapter(whenthe preterite
was introduced),they had done an exercise
(142).
ites can themselves be translatedin more than one
way;and (c) the phenomenon,whateverit is, does not
seem to be limitedto these five verbs. (91)
PEDAGOGY: COLLEGESAND UNIVERSITIES 153
(totally in the preterite) in which querer amplesof this nature.)
occurredbutwouldhavebeen translatedas
Avanzando,an intermediatetext by de la
a translationthatnowseems to be Vega and Salazar,does not include tener
"wanted,"
reservedforthe imperfect.Inthe all-preter- amongits meaning-changeverbs. Interestite exercisereferredto, allverbsin the para- ingly, the authorsuse teneras an example
graphwere to be conjugatedin the preter- to demonstratethe P/I distinctionin genite because all the actions and states con- eral terms-not in terms of meaning
tainedin it were viewed as completed.The changes. Their examples providefurther
sentencethatthis hypotheticalstudentwas evidence that the preterite of teneris not
referring to was: "A sus amigos les always rendered in English as "got/re(encantar) _______ el plato y (querer) ceived":1) For the preterite,they provide:
saberelnombre."Inthis context,it "Cuandotuvodinerogastdmucho.(Sugiere
is clear that quisieronwould be translated que termin6el hecho de tener dineroy el
as "wanted,"not as "tried."This example hechode gastarlo.)"
(36);2) forthe impercontradictsBull'scontentionthat the pret- fect, they provide: "Cuandotenifadinero
erite is used to signal "theinitiativeaspect gastaba mucho. (Duranteel periodoindeof non-cyclicevents"(169);in this case, the finido de tiempo de tener dinero siempre
preteriteis used to signalthe completionof tenia la costumbrede gastarlo.)"(36). Rea non-cyclicevent.
call thatthe rule of thumbtells us thattuvo
Anotherfirst-yeartextbook does some- in the firstexampleshouldbe translatedas
thingsimilar.Inan exercise (whichappears "received,"when in reality,boththe preterwell before the discussion of "meaning ite andthe imperfectwouldbe translatedas
change"verbs) preteriteverb forms are to "had."The differencelies in the factthatin
be practiced.Inthe portionthatfollows,the the preterite example, the terminationof
correctformof the preteriteof saberisto be the event is stressed. In the imperfectexused in each blankto completethe conver- ample,the stress is on habitualness.
sation:
Considernext the use of conocidin the
alreadycited example,the first paragraph
-Nosotros no
nada de lo que of "La sefiorita Bibiana" by Ana Maria
Matute:
preguntaronen ese examen. JT6i
algo?
ni una Teniaya muy rebasadoslos treintaafiosy el aire se-iNada! Yo tampoco
vero e intolerante.Perotodos en el pueblodecianque
palabra.
a los
a los
a los treinta
In this context,the preteriteof saberwould
be translated as "knew/did not know";
"foundout"does not make sense.
A second-yeartext providesthe following exampleto showthatwhen tenerisused
in the preterite,it means"received"
or "got":
"Ayertuvebuenasnoticiasde Silvia."While
it is true that, in this example, tuvewould
be translatedin English as "received"or
willshowthattuve
"got,"a counter-example
can also be translatedas "had,"which accordingto this andmanytextbooksshould
be reserved for the preterite: "Ayertuve
dolorde cabeza."Tuvewouldnot be translated in this example as "got"unless I still
havethe headache;"had"is the morelikely
translation.(Quilter91 gives additionalex-
... siempre
veinte,
veinticinco,
tuvo el mismo aspecto.De nifianadiela conocid.Llegaronal pueblo,ella y su madre,cuandoBibianaera
ya unamujer.(58)
In this context, the use of the preteriteof
to be referringto the action
conocerappears
as completed,or,moreaccurately,not completed, so that "De nifia nadie la conocid'
would be translatedas "Whenshe was a
child, no one knewher."It seems quite unlikelythatMatutemeantto conveythe idea
that no one made Bibiana'sacquaintance
when she was a child,which wouldbe the
case if the beginningof conocerwerebeing
stressed.
Quiltergives an examplewhich depicts
usage similarto thatof the Matuteexample:
"AbrahamLincolnnuncaconoci6a George
154 HISPANIA 78 MARCH 1995
Washington"(91);he translatesconocidas
"knew."This andthe previousexampleprovide two more instancesin which the preterite has been used to signal terminative
aspectof non-cyclicevents,notthe initiative
aspect, as Bull has contended (169).
Another indicationof the problems inherentin characterizingthis set of verbs as
having meaning changes in the preterite
can be shown by the fact that it is not only
the preterite of conocerthat can be translated as "met."The imperfect-in its habitual usage-can also be translated as
"met,"as illustrated by the following example:"Cuandotrabajabapara elfgobierno
conociaa gente importantecada semana."
Here "met (repeatedly)"is the idea rather
than"knew,"as the ruleof thumbindicates.
For the verbs in the meaning-change
category,the "specialmeanings"generally
hold truewithincontexts thatare being relived. For example,in "Mientraslimpidbamos la casa, mi hermano mand6 que yo
sacarala basura,pero no quise,"no quise
would be translatedas "Irefused,"as the
rule of thumb suggests. However, when
focusing on the endpoint of actions or
states, it is possible for the preteriteto be
translatedeitherwiththe "special"meaning
or with the "normal"one. Examinethe use
of quisein the followingtwo examples:
1) "Durantedos afios, quiseser medico,
pero luego cambie de idea y decidi
hacermeabogado."
2) "Pordos minutos,quie abrirla botella
pero no pude. Termine arrojindola
contrala pared."
Inthe contextof the firstsentence,quiseser
medicowouldbe translatedas "Iwantedto
be a doctor,"not "Itried to be a doctor."
This statementindicatesthat, for a period
of time, I wanted to be a doctor, but that
periodof time came to an end.6In the context of the second sentence, "tried"works
as the translation,whereas"wantedto"does
not.
In sum, textbook explanationssuggesting that certain verbs, when used in the
preterite, function differentlythan other
verbs used in the preteriteare untruthful.
As has been shown,the "meaningchange"
verbs follow all of the P/I principles and
they have a muchricherlexicaland semantic potential than the rule of thumb suggests. Nevertheless,it may not be prudent
to entirely eliminate the discussion of
"meaningchange"verbs fromtextbookexplanationsbecausethe Englishtranslations
can help students understandthe P/I distinction. However,textbook explanations
shouldstress the underlyingP/I principles
that govern this set of verbs,just as it governs allotherverbs.Finally,the explanation
should not leave the impressionthat these
verbs always "change meaning."As has
been shown, there are many contexts in
which they do not.
(6) The Imperfect is Used for Two or
More Simultaneous Actions
Eventhe generallyacceptedrulethatthe
imperfectis used for two simultaneousactions does not always hold true. Quilter,
pointingoutthattwoor morepreteriteverbs
can portraytwo simultaneouscomfletedactions, cites the following example: "Juan
salid en el momentoen queAna entrd'(96).
Using the imperfectwouldnot be appropriate for these two simultaneousactions,because, as Quilternotes, these actionshave
no duration.The chief differencebetween
this example and a more typical one"Marialefa mientrassu hthodormid'-is
that, in Quilter'sexample,the actionstook
place at the same time. They were completed at the momentthey took place (cyclic actionsin Bull'sterminology).
Nevertheless,simultaneousactionsneed
not be cyclic in naturefor them to be rendered in the preterite. The preterite can
expresseven simultaneousdurativeactions
if the emphasisis on theircompletionrather
than their duration. Ramsey explains this
usage of the preterite in the following way:
wherethe eventsarewhollypastthe
In narration,
appliesto actionsofsomeandanyduration,
preterite
we haveno specialreferenceto thefactof
provided
It is as if the areaoverwhichthe
theircontinuance.
actionextendswereby the perspectiveof timere-
PEDAGOGY: COLLEGESAND UNIVERSITIES 155
duced to a mere point. (323)
Twoexamplesillustratethis usage. Ramsey
gives an exampletakenfromLa deBringas,
XX, by Benito Perez Gald6s: "Mientras
estuvieronsolos, Bringasy su mujerapenas
hablaron" which Ramsey translates as
"Whilethey remainedalone, Bringas and
his wife scarcelyspokd'(326).The second
example,examinedin section 4 abovewith
regardto the phrase todoslos dias, is: "Fui
a Valenciaymientrasestuveallicomipaella
todos los dias" (Quilter 99). In both examples,althoughthe actionsexpressedby
estavieron/hablaronand estuve/com4,respectively,lasted for some time, their terminationis the focus ratherthan their duration;hence, the use of the preterite.
This rule of thumbwouldbe moretruthful if it were rephrased,perhapsas follows:
"'he imperfectis used for two or more simultaneous ongoing actions; less frequently,the preteritecan be used for two
or more simultaneouscompleted actions,
or, in the case of simultaneousdurativeactions, to focus on their completion,rather
thanon theirduration."
makUnfortunately,
ing the rule completely truthfulhas also
made it lengthy, andconsequently,it loses
one of the characteristicsof a good grammar explanations, that of economy
(Herschensohn411).The P/I principles,on
the other hand, are superior to both the
original and the modified rule of thumb
because they are not only reliablebut also
succinct.
simple verbs (as in: Paco iba a salir tan
prontocomo volvierasu madre,Alicia dijo
que salia el viernesprdximopara Europa).
Perhapssome textbookauthorselect not to
present it because of its conceptual difficulty, but there are three reasons why it
should be presented:1) As noted, it is not
rare in the input that students will be exposed to, and2) because of this,when such
sentences occur in a conversation or in
readingmaterial,students may feel bewildered because this usage does not follow
the rules they have learnedfor the imperfect:habitualpast actionsor pastactionsin
progress.Perhapsthe strongestreasonfor
presenting this principle along with the
otherP/I principlesis that3) once students
understandthe six principles,they will be
equippedwith nearlyall the necessary informationto make accurateP/I choices.7
Conclusions
Severaltypicalrules of thumbforpreterite/imperfectusage in Spanishareproblematicbecause they are only halftrue at best.
Becausethey are"half-truths,"
they confuse
andfrustratestudents.A few of these rules
are so questionablethat they could be entirely eliminated from textbook explanations. Others can serve if modified.However, even accuraterulesof thumbarebest
understoodin termsof the underlyingpreterite/imperfect principles that govern
them. For this reason, it is the principles
that teachers should stress when discussing preterite/imperfectusage. Presentinga
few reliableprinciplesandreinforcingthem
Principle id: Imperfect for Anticipated/Planned Actions
with practiceand discussionwill go a long
way towardbuildinga solid understanding
The use of imperfectfor planned/antici- of the conceptsunderlyingpreterite/imperpated actions (P/I Principle id) is rarely fect usage.8
presented in textbooks. Only six of the 30
books examinedfor this studyincludedan
NOTES
I
explanationof this usage. (Twowere begin'The rules presentedwithinquotationmarksare
ning texts, one was intermediate,andthree
were advanced.)The omissionof an expla- verbatimquotes;the othersare close paraphrases.
2Twoof the textbooksexamined--onebeginning,
nationfor this usage cannotbe justifiedon
one advanced-did not even mentionthe factthatthe
the basis of infrequency in the input be- preteriteis used to signalthe beginningof an action.
cause it occurs fairly often.It occurs in the
3Onlytextbooksthat containedthis rule without
"ir+a+ infinitive"structureas well as with explanationwere counted as problematic.That is,
156 HISPANIA78 MARCH1995
some texts contrastedpreterite/imperfectusagewith
these verbs indicating that the preterite signals a
changeof mental/emotionalstatewhereasthe imperfect signals ongoing mental/emotional states. Becausethis type of explanationstresses the underlying
P/I principles,they were notcountedas problematic.
and "recur4Guitartuses the terms "recurrence"
ring situation"to characterizethis type of action.
5Themost common set presented ii textbuooks
consistsof:saber,conocer,querer/noquerer, oder/no
poder,tenerand sometimes tenerque.Sole and Sole
rendering
(58) and Quilter(91) includecomprender,
it in the preteriteas "grasped"or "realized,"respectively. Bretz, Dvorak,and Kirschnerincludepensar,
translatingitin the preteriteas "itdawnedon me"(98).
Ramseyeven considers ser a meaningchange verb
and cites the following example and translation:
elprimerreydeRoma./Romulusbecame
"Rdmu/aloau
the firstking of Rome"(321).
6Whileit wouldhave been possibleto use the imperfectin this example,the focuswouldhavebeen on
the ongoingnessof the desire, not on its completion.
7Thefocushere has been on the conventionaluses
of preteriteandimperfect.Ramsey(326-28)andLunn
have excellent discussions of the literarysubtleties
achievedby novelists'choice of aspect.
8Anearlierversionof this paperwas presentedat
the IndianaForeignLanguageTeachersAssociation
conferencein Indianapolis,
October,1994.I wouldlike
to express my thanksto GailGuntermann.
N
WORKSCITED
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Pasajes.Lengua.3rded. New York:McGraw-Hill,
1992.
Bull, Willam E. Spanishfor Teachers.New York:
RonaldPress, 1965.
Chastain,Kenneth."Examiningthe Roleof Grammar
Explanation,Drills,andExercisesin the Development of Communication Skills." Hispania 70
(1987):160-66.
De la Vega, Sara Lequerica, and Carmen Salazar.
Avanzando:.
Gramdticaespandlaylectura.3rded.
New York:Wiley, 1994.
Dominicis, Maria Canteli, and John J. Reynolds.
Repasey escriba.:Cursoavanzadodegramdticay
New York:Wiley,1994.
composicidn.
Frantzen,Diana. 'The Effects of GrammarSupplementationonWrittenAccuracyin an Intermediate
SpanishContentCourse."TheModernLanguage
Journal(1995) (in press).
Garcia,EricaC.,andF. C. M.v[an] Putte.'The Value
01
CtIIL
~aL.
CtIILa~
iulllg
L11t
VadllU
oL
I
a dLtg1~S.
IRAL26 (1988):263-80.
Garrett,Nina. '"TheProblemwith Grammar:What
Kind Can the LanguageLearnerUse?"Modern
Language
Journal70 (1986):133-48.
Guitart,JorgeM. "Aspectsof SpanishAspect:A New
ContemLookat thePretenit/ImperfectDistictiotn."
porary Studies in Romance Linguistics. Ed.
MargaritaSufier.Georgetown:GeorgetownUP,
1978.132-68.
Harrison,CourtneyE. 'The Acquisitionof Spanish
Verb Morphemes by Adult Foreign-Language
Learners."Diss. IndianaU, 1992.
Herschensohn,Julia. "LinguisticAccuracyof Textbook Grammar."ModernLanguageJournal 72
(1988):409-14.
Lunn,PatriciaV. 'The AspectualLens."HispanicLinguistics2 (1985):49-61.
Matute,Ana Maria."Lasefiorita Bibiana."La obra
completadeAnaMariaMatute.TomoV. Barcelona:EdicionesDestino, 1976.
Ozete, Oscar."Focusingon the Preteriteand Imperfect."Hispania71 (1988):687-91.
Quilter,Dan.Spanish.:AnalysisforAdvancedStudents.
New York:McGrawHill, 1993.
Ramsey,MarathonMontrose.A Textbook
ofModern
Spanish.Rev.by RobertK. Spaulding.New York:
Holt,RinehartandWinston,1956.
Sole,YolandaR.,andCarlosA. Sole.ModernSpanish
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vanNaerssen,Margaret."HowSimilarareSpanishas
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Ed. RobinC. Scarcellaand StephenD. Krashen.
Rowley,MA:NewburyHouse, 1980.146-54.
PEDAGOGY:COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
157
Table
Textbooks'Use of ProblematicRules of Thumb,by Level
(B=Beginning,I=Intermediate,A=Advanced)
Note:The followingcategoriescorrespondto Rules of Thumb#1-6.
1 = Imperfectused forverbs of emotionor mental
activity.(No explanationof "ongoingness.")
2 = "Repeated"
used in imperfectexplanation.
3 = "Would"used in imperfectexplanation/examples.
4-P = Listof words associatedwith preteriteprovided.
4-I = Listof words associatedwith imperfectprovided.
5
=
"Special meaning" preterites.
6 = Imperfectused for simultaneousactions.
KEY:V/- = present/absent in textbook
Textbook
B-1
B-2
B-3
B-4
B-5
B-6
B-7
B-8
1
2
3
4-P
-
v
-
-
-
V
-
V
-
V
V
V
V
V
-
-
-
-
V
-
-
V
V
v
I-1
I-2
I-3
I-4
I-5
I-6
I-7
I-8
I-9
v
V
v
v
-
A-1
V
-
-
A-2
A-3
A-4
A-5
A-6
A-7
6
v
-
V2
-
..
V
-
-
V3
V
V
V
V
V
V
-
V
V
V2
V
V
_
V,
v
-
V2
-
-
-
V
V2
-
-
v
-
-
V
V
v
v
v
-
-
V
V
v
-
-
-
-
-
V
_
V
-
-
V
V
-
-
Vi
-
V
-
-
V
V
V
V
V
-
V
-
V2
-
v
V
v
V
-
-
V3
V
-
V2
A-8
A-9
A-10
5
-
,
B-9
B-10
B-11
V2
4-I
V
-
-
-
V
V
V
158 HISPANIA 78 MARCH1995
1 'Would"used in imperfectexplanationbut no "warning"
aboutconditionalusage provided.
2 "Would"
used in imperfectexplanationbut "warning"aboutconditionalusage not provided untilconditionalexplanation.
3 'Would"used in imperfectexplanationalong with "warning"aboutconditionalusage.
(Not consideredproblematic.)