This Spanish Medium Review quiz will look at conjugating the ser and estar in the past tense. As you may recall, back in Spanish Easy Review you learned that in Spanish there are two different forms of the verb 'to be'. Those two forms are ser and estar. This is because in Spanish the verb 'to be' is associated with conditions being either temporary or permanent.
You were also given the following helpful hints to assist you in remember where to use each form of the 'to be' Spanish verbs. Those hints were to use the verb ser to tell the :
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- time and date
- place of origin
- occupation
- nationality
- religious and/or political affiliation
- the material something is made of
- possession
- relationship of one person to another
- certain impersonal expressions
- where an event takes place
- qualities
You then use the verb estar to express:
- geographical or physical locations
- temporary or changing conditions such as the weather, feelings and age
- many idiomatic expressions
- progressive tenses
While taking the Spanish Easy Review quizzes you learned how to conjugate each of these 'to be' verbs in the present tense. Now it is time to learn how to conjugate them in the past tense or the pretérito tense as it is said in Spanish.
SER (to be): (irregular in both present and past)
- Present Tense: (yo) soy; (tú) eres; (él/ella/usted/lo) es; (nosotros/as) somos; (vosotros/as) sois; (ellos/ellas/ustedes/los) son
- Past Tense: (yo) fui; (tú) fuiste; (él/ella/usted/lo) fue; (nosotros/as) fuimos; (vosotros/as) fuisteis; (ellos/ellas/ustedes/los) fueron
ESTAR (to be): (irregular in both present and past)
- Present Tense: (yo) estoy; (tú) estás; (él/ella/usted/lo) está; (nosotros/as) estamos; (vosotros/as) estáis; (ellos/ellas/ustedes/los) están
- Past Tense: (yo) estuve; (tú) estuviste; (él/ella/usted/lo) estuvo; (nosotros/as) estuvimos; (vosotros/as) estuvisteis; (ellos/ellas/ustedes/los) estuvieron
SER or IR In The Past Tense
Did you notice something very tricky and yet familiar about the past tense forms of ser? They are exactly the same conjugation words as the past tense form for the verb ir (to go). Now that ought to drive you a little crazy.
The only way to tell the difference between these two verbs when using the past tense is using the entire context of a conversation in which the sentence in which they fall in may be in. For example: 'fui en escuela' means 'I was in school' while 'fui a escuela' could mean either 'I was at school' or 'I went to school.' Some people find that this makes conjugating these two verbs easier while others find it very confusing. Again, practice makes perfect so in time whether you are saying 'I went' or 'I was' will become second nature to you, especially when in the context of a conversation.
Now, as you already have an understanding that there is a difference between temporary conditions and permanent conditions, it is time to move on to the quiz section. There are ten sentences with a 'to be' verb that has been underlined. From the answers provided, see if you can locate the correct Spanish form that matches the all capitalized verb.
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1.
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Janet WAS sleeping at her friend’s house. |
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[ ] |
estuvo |
[ ] |
estuvió |
[ ] |
estuve |
[ ] |
estavo |
|
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2.
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Charlie, Michael and Donald WERE up in the mountains. |
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[ ] |
estuvimos |
[ ] |
estuvieron |
[ ] |
estavieron |
[ ] |
estuvisteis |
|
|
3.
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She WAS his sister. |
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[ ] |
soy |
[ ] |
fuí |
[ ] |
fue |
[ ] |
soí |
|
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4.
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The Statute of Liberty WAS in New York Harbor. |
|
[ ] |
estuve |
[ ] |
fue |
[ ] |
fui |
[ ] |
estuvo |
|
|
5.
|
We WERE brunettes when we were young. |
|
[ ] |
fueron |
[ ] |
estuvimos |
[ ] |
estuvieron |
[ ] |
fuimos |
|
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6.
|
You WERE an American. ('You' refers to the singular familiar.) |
|
[ ] |
eriste |
[ ] |
eres |
[ ] |
fuiste |
[ ] |
fuisteis |
|
|
7.
|
I WAS at the movie theater. |
|
[ ] |
fui |
[ ] |
estuve |
[ ] |
estuvo |
[ ] |
fue |
|
|
8.
|
You WERE hungry. ('You' refers to the plural familiar.) |
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[ ] |
estuvisteis |
[ ] |
estuvistéis |
[ ] |
estuvísteis |
[ ] |
estavisteis |
|
|
9.
|
They WERE cousins. |
|
[ ] |
estuvieron |
[ ] |
fueron |
[ ] |
estuvaron |
[ ] |
fuiron |
|
|
10.
|
The car WAS blue. |
|
[ ] |
fuiste |
[ ] |
estuvo |
[ ] |
fue |
[ ] |
estuviste |
|
|
1.
|
Janet WAS sleeping at her friend’s house. |
|
[x] |
estuvo |
[ ] |
estuvió |
[ ] |
estuve |
[ ] |
estavo |
|
|
2.
|
Charlie, Michael and Donald WERE up in the mountains. |
|
[ ] |
estuvimos |
[x] |
estuvieron |
[ ] |
estavieron |
[ ] |
estuvisteis |
|
|
3.
|
She WAS his sister. |
|
[ ] |
soy |
[ ] |
fuí |
[x] |
fue |
[ ] |
soí |
|
|
4.
|
The Statute of Liberty WAS in New York Harbor. |
|
[ ] |
estuve |
[ ] |
fue |
[ ] |
fui |
[x] |
estuvo |
|
|
5.
|
We WERE brunettes when we were young. |
|
[ ] |
fueron |
[ ] |
estuvimos |
[ ] |
estuvieron |
[x] |
fuimos |
|
|
6.
|
You WERE an American. ('You' refers to the singular familiar.) |
|
[ ] |
eriste |
[ ] |
eres |
[x] |
fuiste |
[ ] |
fuisteis |
|
|
7.
|
I WAS at the movie theater. |
|
[ ] |
fui |
[x] |
estuve |
[ ] |
estuvo |
[ ] |
fue |
|
|
8.
|
You WERE hungry. ('You' refers to the plural familiar.) |
|
[x] |
estuvisteis |
[ ] |
estuvistéis |
[ ] |
estuvísteis |
[ ] |
estavisteis |
|
|
9.
|
They WERE cousins. |
|
[ ] |
estuvieron |
[x] |
fueron |
[ ] |
estuvaron |
[ ] |
fuiron |
|
|
10.
|
The car WAS blue. |
|
[ ] |
fuiste |
[ ] |
estuvo |
[x] |
fue |
[ ] |
estuviste |
|
|