Ch 9 · Lesson 21Spanish · Chapter 9 · Lesson 21 · Grammar primer
Conocí or conocía: verbs that change meaning
In the preterite a state becomes the moment it began: is met, is found out, is refused.
The short version
The preterite of a state is the moment it began
.
Why?Hide
, and a state in the imperfect. In the preterite they report the moment the state began, so English changes the verb: is met, is found out, is got. a María and a María are different sentences.
is refused, not didn't want
.
Why?Hide
In the preterite, and report an attempt and how it ended. is tried, is refused, is managed to and is failed to. The imperfect only says what you wanted or were able to do: , .
A handful of common verbs describe a state in the imperfect and an event in the preterite, and English needs a different verb for each:
María.- I knew María. (a state)María 2010.- I met María in 2010. (the moment it began)
The meaning-change verbs on one screen
| Verb | Imperfect: state | Preterite: event |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| no | didn't want | refused |
| | |
| no | couldn't | failed to |
| | |
had to, was meant to | had to, and did | |
| |
The yo forms are shown (, as there was, has only the one form). The rule under all of them is the one from preterite vs imperfect: the imperfect describes, the preterite reports.
Conocí a Ana: I met her (one moment)
Conocía a Ana: I knew her (a state)
Timeline from past to now, with now marked.
Conocer and saber: knowing, or the moment you knew
The preterite of a knowing verb is the moment the knowing started:
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| knew someone | María . | I knew María from before. |
| met | Madrid. | I met my wife in Madrid. |
| knew a fact | . | I knew the truth. |
| found out | . | I found out the truth yesterday. |
Saber vs conocer covers which of the two knowing verbs to use in the first place.
Querer and poder: tried, refused, managed, failed
In the preterite, and report an attempt and how it ended. The imperfect only tells you what someone wanted or was able to do, with no word on what happened:
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| wanted | . | I wanted to go to the party. |
| tried | . | I tried to open the door. |
| didn't want | , . | I didn't want to go, but I went. |
| refused | . | He/she refused to come. |
| could | . | When I was young I could run a lot. |
| managed to | . | I managed to finish on time. |
| failed to | . | I couldn't get to sleep. |
Going further: Tener, tener que and haber and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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