The two past tenses, por vs para, and the subjunctive

The four things that separate getting by from being fluent.

This is the intermediate wall. Everything above can be brute-forced with enough practice; these four cannot, because each asks you to make a distinction English simply does not make, and to make it every single time you open your mouth.

They are also what a listener notices. A learner who has these is understood as a Spanish speaker with an accent. A learner who has not is understood as someone learning.

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Two past tensesa2

preterite for what happened, imperfect for what was going on

Why English speakers get this wrong. English uses "I ate" for both a finished event and a habit. Spanish splits them, and choosing wrong changes what you said rather than how you said it.

The rule: Preterite = one finished event. Imperfect = a background, a habit, a state.

Comí a las dos — I ate at two, done. Comía a las dos — I used to eat at two. A useful test: could you say "used to" or "was ...ing" in English? Imperfect.

Check yourself

1. Cuando era niño, ___ mucho. — jugabaA childhood habit: imperfect.
2. Ayer ___ a mi abuela. — visitéOne finished visit.
3. ___ las tres cuando salimos. — eranTime of day is always imperfect.
4. El año pasado ___ a España. — viajéA completed trip.
5. Mientras ___, sonó el teléfono. — cocinabaBackground action: imperfect.

por vs paraa2

both are "for", and they are not interchangeable

Why English speakers get this wrong. English collapses cause and purpose into one word. Spanish keeps them apart, and the wrong one can invert your meaning.

The rule: para = the destination, the deadline, the purpose. por = the cause, the exchange, the route, the duration.

Lo hice por ti = I did it because of you. Lo hice para ti = I did it for you to have. Both are correct sentences; only one is what you meant.

Check yourself

1. Este regalo es ___ mi madre. — paraThe recipient: para.
2. Gracias ___ tu ayuda. — porIn exchange for: por.
3. Trabajo ___ una empresa grande. — paraEmployer: para.
4. Lo compré ___ diez euros. — porAn exchange: por.
5. La tarea es ___ el lunes. — paraA deadline: para.
6. Caminamos ___ el parque. — porThrough: por.

The personal aa2

a small word English has no version of

Why English speakers get this wrong. English marks the object by position alone. Spanish adds "a" before a person who is the object, and leaving it out is one of the loudest learner tells.

The rule: Verb + a + a specific person. Veo a María. Busco a mi hermano.

Not for things: veo la casa. Not after tener: tengo dos hermanos. Pets count as people if they are yours.

Check yourself

1. Conozco ___ tu hermana. — aA specific person.
2. Quiero ___ un café. — —A thing takes no personal a.
3. Llamé ___ mi madre. — aA person.
4. Tengo ___ dos hijos. — —tener does not take it.

The subjunctiveb1

for what is wanted, doubted or not yet real

Why English speakers get this wrong. English lost most of its subjunctive, so there is no habit to lean on. It is not a tense — it is a mood, and it marks that something is not being asserted.

The rule: After wanting, doubting, feeling, denying, and after "para que", "antes de que", "cuando" about the future.

Quiero que vengas — I want you to come; the coming is not a fact yet. Sé que vienes — I know you are coming; that is a fact, so indicative.

Check yourself

1. Quiero que ___ conmigo. — vengasAfter querer que: subjunctive.
2. Es importante que ___ pronto. — salgamosImpersonal + que: subjunctive.
3. Creo que ___ razón. — tienesBelief is asserted, so indicative.
4. No creo que ___ razón. — tengasDenied belief: subjunctive.
5. Cuando ___ tiempo, te llamo. — tengaFuture "when": subjunctive.

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