A2 · Unit 12 · 40 words, 2 texts with translation
Talk about your childhood
Remember your childhood: say how you lived, what you played and what you did every day when you were little.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
The imperfect: forms and past habits
"Every summer I used to go to my grandma's" — this is how we talk about things that were normal in the past and happened many times. Spanish has a separate past tense for this — the imperfect (in textbooks: pretérito imperfecto). In English it's usually used to or would + verb for habits (jugaba — I used to play) and the simple past for states and descriptions (era — I was).
The forms are easy: drop -ar, -er or -ir and add the ending.
| Person | jugar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | jugaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | jugabas | comías | vivías |
| él / ella / usted | jugaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros | jugábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros | jugabais | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | jugaban | comían | vivían |
The stem never changes: jugar → jugaba, querer → quería, hacer → hacía. The yo form and the él / ella form are the same, so if it isn't clear who you mean, add yo.
Only three verbs are irregular:
- ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran; — I was, you were, he/she/you (formal) was, we were, you (plural) were, they/you (plural formal) were
- ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban; — I used to go, you used to go, he/she/you (formal) used to go, we used to go, you (plural) used to go, they/you (plural formal) used to go
- ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían. — I used to see, you used to see, he/she/you (formal) used to see, we used to see, you (plural) used to see, they/you (plural formal) used to see
Examples:
- De pequeña jugaba en la calle todos los días. — As a kid, I used to play in the street every day (woman speaking).
- Todos los veranos íbamos al pueblo. — Every summer we used to go to the village.
- ¿De pequeño eras tímido? — Were you shy as a kid? (to a man)
Words that often come with it: de pequeño (as a kid), siempre (always), todos los días (every day), cada verano (every summer).
A common mistake is leaving out the written accent. comía and vivíamos are stressed on í, jugábamos on á: write the accent and stress that syllable.
Antes and ahora: how things used to be and how they are now
You already know antes — before, earlier and ahora — now (A1, unit 8). Together they're the simplest way to compare your old life with your life now: after antes use the imperfect, after ahora the present tense. In English it's often "I used to... now I...".
- Antes vivía en Madrid, ahora vivo en Valencia. — I used to live in Madrid, now I live in Valencia.
- Antes no me gustaba el pescado, ahora me encanta. — I didn't use to like fish, now I love it.
- Antes cenábamos a las siete, ahora cenamos a las diez. — We used to have dinner at seven, now we have dinner at ten.
- Antes iba al trabajo en metro y ahora voy a pie. — I used to go to work by metro, and now I walk.
Good to know:
- A comma or y (and) between the two parts is enough.
- If the old habit is gone, the second part can be just ya no ("not anymore", unit 10): Antes jugaba al fútbol, ahora ya no. — I used to play soccer, now I don't anymore.
- Don't confuse it with antes de + verb — "before" (unit 10): antes de cenar — before dinner. Plain antes, without de, means "before, in the old days".
A common mistake is putting a present-tense verb after antes out of habit: ✗ antes vivo en Madrid. If it's about the past, it's vivía.
Diminutives -ito, -ita: learn to recognize them
People in Spain use diminutives all the time — a bit like English "doggy", "grandma" or "just a sec". Most often the word gets the suffix -ito (masculine) or -ita (feminine). In this unit you only need to recognize these words when you hear or read them. You don't need to make your own yet.
It works simply: drop the last vowel and add the suffix.
| Word | Diminutive | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| casa | casita | little house |
| perro | perrito | puppy, little dog |
| abuelo, abuela | abuelito, abuelita | grandpa, grandma |
| hermano | hermanito | little brother |
| rato | un ratito | a little while |
| poco | un poquito | a little bit |
In poquito the c becomes qu to keep the k sound. Sometimes the suffix is -cito: café → cafecito.
The suffix rarely means just "small". More often it adds warmth and affection (abuelita), and in a request it makes you sound softer:
- Mis abuelos tienen una casita en el campo. — My grandparents have a little house in the country.
- ¿Me esperas un ratito? — Will you wait for me a little while?
- Hablo español un poquito. — I speak a little bit of Spanish.
Careful: not every word ending in -ito is a diminutive. bonito (pretty) and favorito (favorite) are ordinary words — learn them as they are.
Words in this unit
la infancia — childhood
Tuve una infancia muy feliz. — I had a very happy childhood.
de pequeño — as a kid, when I was little
De pequeño vivía en un pueblo cerca del mar. — As a kid, I lived in a village near the sea (man speaking).
el colegio — school
Mi colegio estaba cerca de casa. — My school was close to home.
la mamá — mom
Mamá, tengo hambre. — Mom, I'm hungry.
el papá — dad
Papá, ¿vamos al parque? — Dad, are we going to the park?
acordarse — to remember
¿Te acuerdas de nuestro primer día de colegio? — Do you remember our first day of school?
el juguete — toy
Mi juguete favorito era un coche rojo. — My favorite toy was a red car.
la pelota — ball
Los niños juegan con la pelota en el patio. — The kids play with the ball in the yard.
el campo — country, countryside, field
Mis abuelos viven en el campo. — My grandparents live in the country.
el maestro — teacher (elementary school)
Mi maestra se llamaba Carmen y era muy buena. — My teacher's name was Carmen, and she was very kind.
los deberes — homework
Primero hago los deberes y luego juego. — First I do my homework and then I play.
el recreo — recess
En el recreo jugamos al fútbol. — At recess we play soccer.
el patio — yard, schoolyard, courtyard
Los niños juegan en el patio del colegio. — The kids play in the schoolyard.
el cuento — story, fairy tale
Mi abuela me contaba un cuento cada noche. — My grandmother used to tell me a story every night.
dibujar — to draw
Me gusta dibujar animales. — I like drawing animals.
el dibujo — drawing
Este dibujo es de mi hermano pequeño. — This drawing is my little brother's.
llorar — to cry
El bebé llora por la noche. — The baby cries at night.
saltar — to jump
Los niños saltan en la cama. — The kids jump on the bed.
soñar — to dream
Anoche soñé con mi abuela. — Last night I dreamed about my grandmother.
la época — time, period, era
Fue una época muy feliz. — It was a very happy time.
la merienda — afternoon snack
En España la merienda es a las seis. — In Spain, the afternoon snack is at six.
portarse bien — to behave, to be good
Si te portas bien, te compro un helado. — If you behave, I'll buy you an ice cream.
travieso — naughty, mischievous
Mi hermano era muy travieso. — My brother was very naughty.
bañarse — to go swimming, to take a bath
Los niños se bañan en el río. — The kids go swimming in the river.
esconderse — to hide
Los niños se esconden detrás del árbol. — The kids hide behind the tree.
pelearse — to fight, to argue
Mi hermano y yo nos peleábamos por todo. — My brother and I used to fight over everything.
el río — river
El río estaba cerca del pueblo. — The river was near the village.
el árbol — tree
Hay un árbol muy grande en el patio. — There's a very big tree in the yard.
el olor — smell
Me encanta el olor del pan. — I love the smell of bread.
el sabor — taste, flavor
Este helado tiene un sabor muy rico. — This ice cream has a really good flavor.
la muñeca — doll
Mi hermana tenía muchas muñecas. — My sister had a lot of dolls.
el columpio — swing
Me encanta el columpio del parque. — I love the swing in the park.
la cometa — kite
En primavera hay mucho viento y volamos la cometa. — In spring it's very windy and we fly the kite.
el caramelo — candy, hard candy
Mi abuela siempre llevaba caramelos en el bolso. — My grandmother always carried candies in her purse.
castigar — to punish
Mis padres me castigaban sin tele. — My parents used to punish me with no TV.
mimado — spoiled
Mi hermano pequeño está muy mimado. — My little brother is very spoiled.
el abuelito — grandpa
Mi abuelito me enseñó a pescar. — My grandpa taught me to fish.
la casita — little house
Mis abuelos tienen una casita en el campo. — My grandparents have a little house in the country.
el perrito — puppy, little dog
Quiero un perrito para mi cumpleaños. — I want a puppy for my birthday.
trepar — to climb
Me gustaba trepar a los árboles. — I used to like climbing trees.
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