Description
A 5 page A2 to B1 Spanish lesson designed to help students understand and practise the difference between the pretérito indefinido and pretérito imperfecto through a professional legal context.
The first part provides a substantial grammar reference for the pretérito indefinido, covering regular conjugations and several important groups of irregular verbs, including hacer, venir, querer, decir, estar, tener, poner, poder, dormir, pedir, leer, ser, ir and dar. It also introduces the principal use of the tense and common past time markers.
Students then review the pretérito imperfecto, including regular conjugations, the three irregular verbs ver, ser and ir, and its principal uses for past habits, descriptions and background situations. The examples help students see how the imperfecto can provide the context in which another completed action occurs.
The practical section brings the two tenses together through vistos de una sentencia concerning a fictional fraud case. Students identify verbs in the indefinido and their subjects before working with a second group of sentences in the imperfecto. They then combine both sets to construct complete and meaningful past narratives, allowing them to practise the contrast between completed events and background circumstances in context.
Complete answers are included in the resource.
The lesson also contains external links for vocabulary and audio practice, so internet access is required. A free Quizlet account may be required to access the linked Quizlet activities.
This is a Spanish language learning resource. The legal setting is used as a context for developing grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading skills. It is not intended to teach law or provide legal, legislative or professional advice.
