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Preterite/Imperfect Half-Truths: Problems with Spanish Textbook Rules for Usage Author(s): Diana Frantzen Reviewed work(s): Source: Hispania, Vol. 78, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), pp. 145-158 Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/345237 . Accessed: 27/01/2012 13:08 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Hispania. http://www.jstor.org 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 Bretz,MaryLee, Trish Dvorak,and CarlKirschner. 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 Syntax.:AStudyin Contrast.Lexington,MA:D.C. Heath,1977. vanNaerssen,Margaret."HowSimilarareSpanishas a First Languageand Spanishas a Foreign Language?"Researchin SecondLanguageAcquisition. 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.)