#327. You What?
Posted February 11, 2008, 14:07 CET
In Spanish, there are at least 48 ways of saying what would suffice in English with the phrase "you were". Depending on who was, when it was and if it wasn't really, we have:
| Tense | Ser Indicative | Ser Subjunctive | Estar Indicative | Estar Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular, Informal | ||||
| Indefinite | fuiste | N/A | estuviste | N/A |
| Imperfect | eras | fueras/fueses | estabas | estuvieras/estuvieses |
| Perfect* | has sido | hayas sido | has estado | hays estado |
| Singular, Formal | ||||
| Indefinite | fue | N/A | estuvo | N/A |
| Imperfect | era | fuera/fuese | estaba | estuviera/estuviese |
| Perfect | ha sido | haya sido | ha estado | haya estado |
| Plural, Informal | ||||
| Indefinite | fuisteis | N/A | estuvisteis | N/A |
| Imperfect | erais | fuerais/fueseis | estabais | estuvierais/estuvieseis |
| Perfect | habeis sido | hayais sido | habeis estado | hayais estado |
| Plural, Formal | ||||
| Indefinite | fueron | N/A | estuvieron | N/A |
| Imperfect | eran | fueran/fuesen | estaban | estuvieran/estuviesen |
| Perfect | han sido | hayan sido | han estado | hayan estado |
* They sometimes use the perfect like we would the imperfect, so I'm including it for the sake of argument.
Some of these are probably never actually used. However, it does show the kind of mental jiggery needed to actually have a conversation about anything that happened before today.
[Updated with some corrections]
Comment from Cliph
on February 5, 2008, 19:49 CET
Live in the now.
Comment from mackers
on February 6, 2008, 19:52 CET
Yesterday, I have rash!
Comment from Belén on February 11, 2008, 14:11 CET
You almost managed to confuse me: and I do know my verbs. You seem to be mixing the Indicativo (indicative) with Indefinido (the first is a mode, the second is a tense).
The word you are looking for when using Preterite is actually Indefinite. The Perfect and the Imperfect are also Preterites (a preterite is any tense expressing an action in the past). Fueras / fueses are not different tenses: they are the same tense (Imperfect Preterite of the Subjunctive mode). There is not Indefinite in the Subjunctive mode.
We also have a Pluscuamperfect Preterite both in the Indicative and Subjunctive: habías sido and hubieras o hubieses sido
The preterite perfect (has sido) is probably better translated as you have been. And
we also have a Pretérito Anterior (hubiste sido), but you would probably translate that one as you had been
We do use all of them in Spanish (the only tense that has effectively dissapeared from the spoken language is the Future of the Subjunctive mode: fueres). http://www.educar.org/lengua/verbo/ser.asp to review your verbs!
The word you are looking for when using Preterite is actually Indefinite. The Perfect and the Imperfect are also Preterites (a preterite is any tense expressing an action in the past). Fueras / fueses are not different tenses: they are the same tense (Imperfect Preterite of the Subjunctive mode). There is not Indefinite in the Subjunctive mode.
We also have a Pluscuamperfect Preterite both in the Indicative and Subjunctive: habías sido and hubieras o hubieses sido
The preterite perfect (has sido) is probably better translated as you have been. And
we also have a Pretérito Anterior (hubiste sido), but you would probably translate that one as you had been
We do use all of them in Spanish (the only tense that has effectively dissapeared from the spoken language is the Future of the Subjunctive mode: fueres). http://www.educar.org/lengua/verbo/ser.asp to review your verbs!
Comment from mackers on February 11, 2008, 14:13 CET
Thanks for the clarification Belén! Even the names of the tenses themselves are confusing, it seems!
I have updated the table.
I have updated the table.
