Spanish
Grade 7
15 min
Expresiones de tiempo pasado: Ayer, la semana pasada...
Learn time expressions related to the past (yesterday, last week, last year).
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify key past time expressions like 'ayer', 'anoche', and 'la semana pasada'.
Use past time expressions correctly at the beginning or end of a sentence.
Construct sentences in the preterite tense describing what a professional did at a specific time in the past.
Combine professions vocabulary with past time expressions to describe past events.
Ask questions using '¿Qué hizo...?' combined with a time expression and a profession.
Answer questions about what different professionals did at specific times in the past.
🤔 ¿Qué hizo la científica en su laboratorio la semana pasada? ¡Vamos a aprender a contar historias sobre el pasado!
In this lesson, you will learn the Spanish words we use to say *when* something happ...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
AyerThe day before today. It signals a specific, completed time.Ayer, el cocinero preparó una paella deliciosa.
AnocheThe night of yesterday; last night.Anoche, la médica trabajó muchas horas en el hospital.
AnteayerThe day before yesterday; two days ago.Anteayer, el policía ayudó a una persona.
La semana pasadaThe seven-day period before the current week. Note that 'pasada' is feminine to match 'semana'.La semana pasada, la ingeniera diseñó un edificio nuevo.
El mes pasadoThe month before the current one. Note that 'pasado' is masculine to match 'mes'.El mes pasado, el artista pintó un cuadro increíble.
El año pasadoThe year before the current one.El año pasado, el maestro enseñó la historia de México.
3
Grammar Rules & Patterns
Agreement with Preterite Tense
Time Expression + Subject + Preterite Verb + Rest of sentence.
These specific time expressions (ayer, anoche, la semana pasada, etc.) signal a completed action in the past. Therefore, you must use the preterite tense, not the imperfect.
Placement of Time Expressions
Time expressions can be placed at the beginning or the end of a sentence.
Placing the expression at the beginning emphasizes *when* the action happened. Placing it at the end is also very common and sounds natural. Both are correct. Example: 'Ayer el mecánico arregló el coche.' OR 'El mecánico arregló el coche ayer.'
Gender Agreement for 'Pasado/Pasada'
Use 'pasado' with masculine nouns (mes, año) and 'pasada' with feminine nou...
4 more steps in this tutorial
Sign up free to access the complete tutorial with worked examples and practice.
Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
Combine these elements into one grammatically correct sentence: `la música / escuchar / la semana pasada / la DJ`
A.La semana pasada, la DJ escuchaba la música.
B.La DJ escuchaste la música la semana pasada.
C.La semana pasada, la DJ escuchó la música.
D.La DJ la música la semana pasada escuchó.
Challenging
A journalist's notes say: "Monday: Interview mayor. Tuesday: Write article. Wednesday: Publish article." If today is Thursday, what did the journalist do?
A.Ayer, el periodista publicó el artículo.
B.Anteayer, el periodista escribió el artículo.
C.La semana pasada, el periodista entrevistó al alcalde.
D.Anoche, el periodista escribió el artículo.
Challenging
Which of the following sentences is both grammatically correct AND logically plausible?
A.El año pasado, el bebé diseñó un edificio.
B.Anoche, el panadero voló a la luna.
C.Ayer, la cirujana operó a un paciente.
D.La semana pasada, el pez escribió una novela.
Want to practice and check your answers?
Sign up to access all questions with instant feedback, explanations, and progress tracking.
Start Practicing Free