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9.8: Irregular Preterite Verbs, Part 4

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    Finally, there are several verbs that change meaning when they are used in el pretérito. Here are some of the more commonly used meaning-changers:

    Poder

    We know poder to mean “to be able to/ to can.” However, when used in el pretérito, it means “to manage to” in the sense of having tried to do something, and ultimately being able to do it.

    No poder

    When you make poder negative in el pretérito, it means to fail after attempting to do something.

    Querer

    We know querer to mean “to want/ to love.” However, when used in el pretérito, it means “tried to.”

    No querer

    When negative in el pretérito, querer means “to refuse.”

    Saber

    We know saber to mean “to know” (learned knowledge). However, when used in el pretérito, it means “to find out/ to discover.” If negative, it means to have never found out about something.

    Conocer

    We know conocer to mean “to know” (experiential knowledge). However, when used in el pretérito, it means “to meet for the first time.”

    Actividad 28

    Los verbos que cambian de significado. Give the Spanish equivalent of each sentence below.

    1. Raúl failed to do all of his homework last night. ________

    2. Laura tried to buy a ticket to Madrid yesterday. ________

    3. I managed to wash all of my clothing last weekend. ________

    4. My son refused to eat his vegetables this evening. ________

    5. My friends and I found out that Melissa is pregnant last week. ________

    6. Did you meet your wife in college? ________

    Actividad 29

    1. El/ la profesor(a) no ________ comer cuy cuando fue a Perú.

    Cierto Falso

    Picture251.png

    2. El/ la profesor(a) no ________ calificar toda la tarea de sus alumnos el fin de semana pasado.

    Cierto Falso

    Picture252.png

    3. El/ la profesor(a) ________ a su futur@ espos@ en un bar de karaoke.

    Cierto Falso

    Picture253.png

    4. El/ la profesor(a) ________ que su ex-espos@ tenía otr@ espos@ y dos hijos en California.

    Cierto Falso

    Picture254.png

    5. El/ la profesor(a) ________ lavar, doblar, y ordenar toda su ropa sucia ayer.

    Cierto Falso

    This page titled 9.8: Irregular Preterite Verbs, Part 4 is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Erin Huebener (Independent) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.