Grammar terms

Question

Is there a place to find the definitions of each category of conjugation? Under the verb conjugation there are several categories in English with several sub-categories in Spanish. I am sure I learned these terms at one point but once integrated I forgot them. Thank you!

Answer 1

Try this: Spanish Verbs You still might have to click a few links, but I think you'll find the definitions you're looking for.

I, for one, am going to click on that link just as soon as I add this comment. I hope the definitions are better than what I have been able to find so far!! - Janice, Aug 23, 2009

Answer 2

verb tenses

I'm not sure that I followed your question, but if you are asking for the Spanish names of the verb tenses and moods, this site is a pretty good one.

Some of the things to remember is the preterite and imperfect are labels given to students of Spanish. Technically, these labels are inadequate, at least, as both are pretérito or past.

You will also see presente perfecto used for the English Present Perfect. That isn't the true Spanish name of that tense. You often see the pretérito anterior called the preterite perfect which clashes with the actual Spanish name for our Present Perfect.

It's confusing to see all the different terms used (especially when you're not familiar with the tenses), but after learning the actual Spanish names for the tense they began to make more sense to me.

Answer 3

I had this same question and started to compare in different books (and even in different books in different languages) what tense is called what. I was finding different names in different books. ...oh yes, One was in fact never different: present indicative :--)

But worst of all, I found that something called indefinido...I thought/think it means "indefinite" was/is applied to the past tense for which the action is most definitely past! And then I just gave up, wrote the names down from one of my books so that I could follow other persons' discussions occasionally and decided that I cannot let their names matter to me.

I am convinced that examples with explanations of what exactly is being expressed work better than those names. But I realize, too, as you seem to do, that we have to get at least familiar enough with their names to follow some discussions.

Sorry, my response is hardly an answer to your question. But it was too many words to be entered as a "comment".