Spanish 3 / Unit 1: Review of Past Tenses
1.5 Verbs That Change Meaning
Notes
Some verbs have a different English meaning in the preterite than in the imperfect.
| Verb | Imperfect | Preterite |
|---|---|---|
| conocer | knew (a person or place) | met |
| saber | knew (a fact) | found out |
| querer | wanted | tried (affirmative) / refused (negative) |
| poder | was able to (ability in general) | managed to / succeeded (negative: failed) |
- Conocía a Ana desde niña. (I knew Ana.) / Conocí a Ana ayer. (I met Ana.)
- Supe la noticia anoche. (I found out the news.) / Sabía la respuesta. (I knew the answer.)
- No quise ir. (I refused to go.) / No quería ir. (I did not want to go.)
Practice
"Ayer conocí a la profesora nueva." ¿Qué significa conocí aquí?
Conocer in the preterite means "met" for the first time.
"No quise ir a la fiesta." ¿Qué significa esta oración?
Negative querer in the preterite means refused.
"Anoche supe que mi amigo se mudaba." ¿Qué hizo la persona anoche?
Saber in the preterite means "found out" (se enteró).
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