The most common tenses

Question

Hi, I currently use both Fluencia and Duolingo (and a bit of memrise and italki) to learn Spanish. I have only been learning for 99 days, but I am really trying to crash course it.

I am really struggling with the tenses that seem superfluous to English natives.

My current thinking is that THESE are the ones in most popular usage (using COMER as an example):

PRESENT como

PRETERITE (Past tense) comí

FUTURE Ir voy a comer

PRESENT PERFECT he comido

PAST PERFECT (Haber imperfect) había comido

PRETERITE PERFECT (Haber preterite) hube comido

FUTURE PERFECT habré comido

PRESENT FUTURE comeré

Would you agree these are the most important to learn for an A1/A2 learner? Are there any that I should not be doing at this stage? Which ones are the most used? I think the top 3 but, please, correct me.

Please also see my spreadsheet to see my thinking if you have time. The green ones I am focusing on.

Link: https://i.imgsafe.org/dc2df87df7.png

I really appreciate any help.

Thanks

Welcome to SpanishDict. Your link has not posted correctly. - rac1, Feb 10, 2017

thanks, image link fixed - KTN2k, Feb 10, 2017

I think the imperfect needs to be on your list; it's far more common than some others (like preterite perfect). - jtaniel, Feb 10, 2017

thanks, but do you mean the "PRESENT IMPERFECT" ? e.g. yo comía (I used to eat), or one of the subjunctives? - KTN2k, Feb 10, 2017

I've been practicing duolingo for 99 days now, cuatro horas por dia, y tambien con fluencia. Pero, necesito aprender las tenses. Pero, no quiero usar tiempo con cosas que no son necesario. Quiero ser fluido un dia, pero ahora, quiero aprender solo las - KTN2k, Feb 10, 2017

principales (ran out of text). - KTN2k, Feb 10, 2017

I meant imperfect, an indicative (not subjunctive) tense. Yes, like comía. I have never heard of the present imperfect, but people use all kinds of crazy names for tenses. - jtaniel, Feb 11, 2017

damn, I understand the need for that tense - I'm just trying to avoid conjugations to be honest and use tenses where I can use the Gerund or PP. But I will put that tense in ORANGE to learn soon. - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

Most learners like the imperfect because there are so few verbs that are conjugated irregularly in that tense. - jtaniel, Feb 11, 2017

Answer 1

I don't see the point of future perfect at this stage. However the composite verbs only require you to learn the main tenses of haber and add your past participle. The present perfect is something I learned very early and I found it easy to remember and it empowered me, because I had a past tense I could use. I have been to Spain and Mexico Peru etc. The present perfect is used more extensively in Spain than in Mexico, you should definitely learn it.

You need the imperfect which is for repeated actions in the past eg I usually ... and for narratives about the past. I think it is an easy tense. The courses you are doing will try and teach the difference between imperfect and preterite. You do not need the subjunctive present or imperfect at this stage.

If you are finding it overwhelming you could put the future on the back burner and just use ir a..However, if you are into 'patterns' for linguistic reasons if you know the present tense of haber you know the future endings ie remove the h and add the endings to the infinitive

If you have a space in your brain.learn the imperative it is not that difficult and some of the forms are actually the present subjunctive. The Spanish are more direct than the British so the imperative is used a lot.

Make a huge effort on learning to pronounce words well and getting the stress on words correct. For example hablo is I talk. but habló with the stress on the o is he spoke

You would be better to use fewer tenses well rather than become muddled. Your aim is to communicate. Remember as native speakers we will understand foreigners who effectively speak in the present tense eg yesterday I go to the shop. We hear yesterday and know what they are explaining is something past.

Apart from absorbing some of the present subjunctive as the imperative I would leave the subjunctive until your course teaches it. It is not a difficult tense to construct but you need to understand when to use it.

Listen to music - it is a great way to improve vocabulary and learn the rhythm of the language. I can still sing some of the Spanish version of 'if I were a rich man' good for the conditional and subjunctive.

Here is a site good for simple explanations and verb drills

verbs etc

In your eagerness to learn verbs do not skimp on other bits. Pay careful attention to direct and indirect pronouns and where they are placed.

Finally try and learn well. Language is building blocks. The present subjunctive uses the present tense of the first person as its root and the imperfect subjunctive uses the third person plural of the preterite as its root.

Thank you, Mardle. :) - rac1, Feb 11, 2017

I really appreciate this detailed answers. I am trying to reply but will have to do it one comment at a time :( If you do find the time, any answers would be appreciated, otherwise I think I have learned a lot from this already. - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

Q 1) You said forget FUTURE PERFECT, always "habré/habrás comido" ? So if I know the PP, I just need to remember the HABER conjugations? or am I wrong? - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

Q 2) I will put SUBJUNCTIVE PRESENT as a goal, by that do you mean e.g. "haya comido" - I think? Or the conjugations of the words themselves? e.g. "Yo coma" - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

I think I have PRESENT PERFECT "yo he comido" nailed down (same with habia). I can conjugate regular PP's and GERUND's fairly easily now. - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

I will also focus on the IMPERATIVE (and NEGATIVE (+s)) as you suggest. PS my intention is not to just communicate, it is to become "fluent", not just for que te gusta small talk, as I will be in Spain for 6 months per year. I realise this will take years - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

99 days is early. I was just saying no need to have the compund tenses as a priority. There will be sentence structures where future perfect is used but there are other tenses you will need first. Slot it in when you have learned how to use it. - Mardle, Feb 11, 2017

present subjunctive is not a compound tense so vaya = 1st and 3rd person subj. Diga is 1st and 3rd subj. Both are 3rd person imperative. In Spain you can answer the phone saying diga[me] eg Speak! - Mardle, Feb 11, 2017

Entiendo.... Pienso... Muchas gracias para tu ayuda, nuevamente. Hoy, yo habia hablado con un taxista en Tenerife por cuarenta minutos. Yo dijo a él "no hablo ingles, soy de Rusio". Creo que me creeó... fue un buena conversación después este. - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

Lo siento, yo estoy usar esta caja para practio mi espanol :) No necesito una respuesta de ti. Desde ahora, creo que yo sé como progeso - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

*usando* ... demasiado vino. En serio, tu respuesta esta mucho apreciado - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

Answer 2

I think you should scratch the preterite perfect and replace it with the imperfect, and definitely add the present subjunctive. What helped me improve my Spanish by a lot, and I mean a LOT, is the mixxer. Its a website where you link up with people who are trying to learn English and speak Spanish as their first language, and you speak in x amount of minutes in Spanish and English. With all this effort you're putting in, you're definitely going to see amazing results!

Thanks, appreciate your input. So, because the PRETERITE PERFECT is so easy "Yo hube (past participle)" I plan to keep it. By imperfect, do you mean PRESENT IMPERFECT e.g. "yo comía" ? And subjunctive, "yo coma" ? - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

PS I'm trying to crash course espanol porque voy a vivir en espana pronto. I have done 2 and a half hours using italki (I prefer to pay for lessons than teach people english as payment). Puedo escribir pero no puedo hablar! - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

So right now, I'm a keyboard warrior trying to learn the syntax and grammar. I am in tenerife and use the language as much as possible but because its a tourist area they prefer me to speak english :( - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

oops sorry I wish I had seen this sooner! How is it going? Are you impressing all spaniards with your spanish? ;D - Zein-, Feb 24, 2017

Answer 3

The two previous answers give you some good information for being at a certain level, but you should keep in mind that there are some verbs that have a different meaning depending on the tense used, such as conocer:

La conocí ayer (I met her yesterday).

La conocía cuando vivía en Madrid (I knew her when I lived in Madrid).

I am really struggling with the tenses that seem superfluous to English natives.

I doubt that you will use Spanish with English natives, so no tense will be superfluous. However, you can find comfort in the fact that future subjunctive is not used in contemporary speech - for this we use present subjunctive.

Gracias, I understand the intricacies which can have a big effect on meaning. Both of my parents were headteachers, and my father had to learn English from native Hindi. Voy a ser fluido un dia.... con practica todos los dias. Por la vida. - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017

"future subjunctive is not used in contemporary speech - for this we use present subjunctive" - ese punto esta mucho apreciado - KTN2k, Feb 11, 2017