The Verb and the Verb Phrase English-Spanish

Absolute past
The Verb and the Verb Phrase
English-Spanish
Tense and aspect. The Past Tense(s).
Translation possibilities.
EC 3rd year English. R. Rabadán 2006
Rabadán 2005ª (RCEI, 51) & Rabadán 2005b
(Meta 50:4)
• The vast majority of English Simple Past Tenses
(over 70%) are transferred into Spanish by
means of a pretérito, which is consistent with the
non-marked meaning of past event, as llegó and
regresamos in
• 5P. We lived in South Africa during the war,"
William Tembe explains, "but we moved back to
Mozambique to farm when peace came."
• Durante la guerra vivíamos en Sudáfrica, pero
cuando llegó la paz regresamos a Mozambique
para trabajar en el campo», me cuenta William.
Anaphoric past
• Always by an imperfecto in Spanish
Anticipatory past
•
•
29P. The things he owned showed it too.
Sus posesiones lo demostraban.
•
By a condicional or modal constructions
His men would have the truck
surrounded within minutes. Langdon was
not going anywhere.
Sus hombres tendrían rodeado el
camión en cuestión de minutos. Langdon
no podía ir demasiado lejos.
Hypothetical
Habit in the past
• ‘Hypothetical’ cases happen mostly in conditional
contexts. This use of the English simple past may be
conveyed in Spanish by a conditional tense [22P] or a
subjunctive,
• It could set precedents that resulted in a proliferation of
the unilateral and lawless use of force
• Podría sentar precedentes que tendrían como
consecuencia la proliferación del uso de la fuerza
unilateral e ilegal.
• 44P.
I think I know why Father Martin suggested it
would be helpful if I began writing again.
• Entiendo por qué el padre Martin me aconsejó que
empezara a escribir otra vez.
• This function is perfectly marked by the
adverb ‘always’, which is also the key to
the translated imperfecto in 81P below.
• Such letters always meant disciplinary
trouble
• Cartas
como
aquella
significaban
problemas
disciplinarios
indefectiblemente.
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Irrealis
•
•
•
By a subjunctive imperfecto or condicional
For some days after John Kerry conceded,
Democrats were telling me that the vote may
have been rigged
Durante los días posteriores a que John Kerry
reconociera la derrota, varios demócratas me
dijeron que era posible que la votación hubiera
estado arreglada.
Mereological progressive
• By the periphrasis which is closest in meaning to
the English text in the imperfecto.
• Walking beside her, Langdon was already
feeling the tingle of anticipation that
accompanied his face-to- face reunions with
great works of art.
• A su lado, Langdon ya empezaba a notar ese
cosquilleo de impaciencia que siempre le
invadía momentos antes de ponerse frente a las
grandes obras de arte. (43_prACTRES)
Progressive
• The progressive past can be translated by an imperfecto or a
periphrastic form also in the imperfect.
• By 13 September, the Germans had contained the landing and were
threatening to drive a wedge between the British and American
corps with an armour attack.
• A pesar de ello, el 13 de septiembre los alemanes habían contenido
el avance aliado. Sus formaciones amenazaban con clavar una
cuña entre los cuerpos de ejército británico y estadounidense,
mediante un nuevo ataque de combate. (1_prACTRES)
• The embassy's night operator was reading Time magazine's
International Edition when the sound of her phone interrupted.
• La telefonista de guardia aquella noche estaba leyendo la revista
Time cuando le interrumpió el sonido del teléfono. (41_prACTRES)
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