Recursio
Lesson 73. Today or yesterday: he ido or fui
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
pretérito perfecto or indefinido
Two past tenses
In Spain (the model of this course), the choice often depends on whether the speaker connects the event to the present:
| Pretérito perfecto | Pretérito indefinido |
|---|---|
| hoy, esta semana, este año | ayer, la semana pasada, el año pasado |
| hace un rato, sometimes hace poco | hace un año, anoche |
| experience, no date: ¿Has estado en Valencia? | dated event: Fui el año pasado. |
- Hoy he ido al mercado; ayer fui al cine.
- ¿Has estado en Valencia? — Sí, fui el año pasado.
This works a lot like English have been / went, with one difference: Spain also uses the perfecto for events earlier today (Esta mañana he perdido las llaves), where English often says “I lost.”
These are typical cases, not strict “marker words.” The same event can be told either way, depending on the speaker’s point of view.
Variation
In many Latin American countries and in the Canary Islands, the indefinido is used more widely, including for today: Hoy fui al mercado. That’s a normal variety of Spanish.
Words in this lesson
- la primera vez / la última vez — “the first / last time”: Es la primera vez. La última vez fue hace un año.
- durante — “during, for”: durante el verano.
- en mi vida — “in my life”: Nunca en mi vida he visto el mar.
Hoy he ido al mercado; ayer fui al cine. — Today I've been to the market; yesterday I went to the movies.
¿Has estado en Valencia? — Sí, fui el año pasado. — Have you been to Valencia? — Yes, I went last year.
La he visto hace un rato. — I saw her a little while ago.
El verano pasado trabajé en un hotel. — Last summer I worked in a hotel.
Nunca en mi vida he visto el mar. — I've never seen the sea in my life.
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Lucía Javier, ¿has visto a Nora hoy? Javier, have you seen Nora today?
Javier Sí, la he visto hace un rato. Hoy ha tenido una entrevista de trabajo. Yes, I saw her a little while ago. She had a job interview today.
Lucía ¿Una entrevista? ¿En qué empresa? An interview? At which company?
Javier En un hotel del centro. ¡Es su primera entrevista! At a hotel downtown. It's her first interview!
Lucía ¿Y tú? ¿Has tenido alguna entrevista este año? And you? Have you had any interviews this year?
Javier No. La última vez fue hace tres años, en el bar. No. The last time was three years ago, at the bar.
Lucía ¿Y Nora está contenta? And is Nora happy?
Javier Sí. ¡Es una oportunidad muy buena! Yes. It's a really good opportunity!
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you say “Today I've been to the market; yesterday I went to the movies”?
2. Someone asks “¿Has estado en Valencia?” You went there last year. What do you say?
3. How do you say “It's the first time”?
4. How do you say “The last time was a year ago”?
Match each word with its translation
Build the sentence: “Last summer I worked in a hotel”
Build the sentence: “I saw her a little while ago”
What you can do now
- Tell them apart: Hoy he ido al mercado; ayer fui al cine.
- Answer about experiences: Sí, fui el año pasado.
- Say recently: hace un rato, hace poco
- Say the first and last time: la primera vez, la última vez
Key phrases of the lesson:
Hoy he ido al mercado; ayer fui al cine.
¿Has estado en Valencia? — Sí, fui el año pasado.
Day 73 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 74. Dates and big numbers →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.