I.KSSOXS IN' SI>AMHf 



211 



LESSONS IN SPANISH. XX. 



Tin: vi;i:i:. 



'i: TENSES or THE INDICATIVE MOOD (continued). 



As both the imperfect and pcrfuct definite in Spanish are 



1 in Kntflish in what is caLod the imperfect tense, it is 



iuiliortiint thut tho learner should be able to distinguish the 



in Spanish. When an action or event in entirely 



I finished, the perfect definite is used; but when it is 



meant to say that the action or event was taking place at a 



time, ami that it is or may bo still continued, the im- 



must be used. Thus, "los soldados marchaban por la 



ciudad " moans the soldiers were marching through the city, and 



o f:ir as the word marchaban is concerned, they may be march- 



.1 ; but "los soldados morcharou por la ciudad " moans 



marched through the city, and from tho tense em- 



I are marching no longer. 



The perfect indefinite is used to express an action or event, 

 which, though entirely past, has taken place during a period of 

 time (expressed or understood) of which the present forms a 

 port, or at a time designated in an indeterminate manner ; as 



THE TEHSM OF THE IMPE&ATITB MOOD. 



The imperative is that mood which command*, exhorts, or 

 entreats ; OH in these examples : 



Haoldlo, do it. | Vwtooslos, Itt tu ttt lJUm. 



The imperative mood is not used in the first person fogqhtr ; 

 nor is it used in Spanish for forbidding, that U, it i* not em- 

 ployed with a negative adverb, bat tho persons of the inesmit 

 subjunctive are used when a negative command or a prohibition 

 is expressed ; as 



No temai, fear not (i.e., mayut I No tn*i,/ar not (I*., BMU w 

 thou not fear). \ not ftar). 



The s of the first person plural and the d of the second are 

 suppressed before no* and os ; 



Congratulc'inonos, let ui congra- 

 latt ourselves. 



CongratuUos, conyratulaU your. 

 Minn. 



He hablado a Rodrigo esta 



J have 

 \ceek. 



tptken to Roderick thit 



The past actions of persons or things still in existence, if no 

 particular time be mentioned, are expressed in this tense ; as 



El general ha toinodo varias The general has taken several 

 ciudades, cities. 



The only cases in which the English perfect tense and the 

 Spanish perfect indefinite do not correspond are such as the 

 following : " It has been snowing these three hours ; " " he has 

 been in Mexico for these ten years ; " which in Spanish would 

 be, " hoco tres horas quo nieva ; hace diez anos que estoy en 

 Mejico ; " which mean literally, it is three hours that (since) it 

 snows ; it is ten years that (since) I am in Mexico. If tho sen- 

 tence bo negative, the perfect indefinite is employed ; as, hace 

 ocho dias que no la hemos visto, it is eight days that we have 

 not seen her, that is, we have not seen her for eight days. If the 

 action or event be completed, tho perfect definite must be used ; 

 as, hace diez anos que el rey le perdond, it is ten years that 

 (since) the king pardoned him. 



Hay (or Tia) is sometimes used instead of hace in cases like 

 the examples in the last paragraph ; as, hay pocos dias que cntre 

 en el cuarto de mi amigo, it has few days that (since) I entered 

 into the room of my friend, that is, a few days ago I entered my 

 friend's room. Hay is used at the beginning and ha at the end 

 of a phrase ; as, hay pocos dias, or pocos dias ha. 



The first pluperfect is used to express an affirmation of what 

 is past and took place before some other past action or event or 

 time, expressed or understood ; as 



Juan ya habia comido cuando Jo7m already had dined vhen 

 llego Ricardo, Richard arrived. 



Whenever the former action or event is mentioned as still 

 continuing when the latter occurred, the imperfect tense is 

 employed in Spanish to denote the former ; as 



Habfa tres horas que ella estaba II teas three hours that the tcaa 

 pintando cuando llego Pedro, painting when Peter arrived. 



This last example means in English, she had been painting 

 three hours when Peter arrived. 



The second pluperfect is used to express a past action or 

 event that took place immediately before another action or 

 event also past. It is never used except after some of the 

 adverbs of time ; cuando, when ; asi qne, as soon, as ; no bien, 

 no sooner, but just ; apenas, scarcely ; luego que, immediately 

 after ; despues que, soon after ; as 



Apdnas hubo aalido cuando se Scarcely had he gone out, \ehen 

 cayo la casa, the house fell. 



The first future tense affirms what is yet to be or to take 

 place at a future time (mentioned or not) ; as 



Sere president*, I 'shall be presi- 

 dent. 



The s of the first person plural of the tenses of the indicative 

 mood is suppressed when the reflective pronoun comes after it ; 

 as in this example : 



Amamonos, 



We love ourselves. 



Lucia vendra maiiana, Lucy iciU 

 come to-morrow. 



The second future tense affirms something future that will 

 have taken place before or at the time of some other future 

 action or event, or determinate time ; as 



Habrd escrito esta carta antes I Habra acabado A las tres, 7i will 

 que Juan llegue, I shall have written have finished at three o'clock. 

 AW letter before John may arrive. } 



When the imperative is negative in English, as the subjunc- 

 tive is employed in Spanish, the pronouns of the first objective 

 case are not joined to it, but come before it ; as 



No lo hagas, do (<7iou) it not. | No lo haga ella, let lier not do tt. 



Que is sometimes used before the persons of tho imperative 

 mood ; as 



Que uno de nosotros vaya. Let one of us go (that one of ut 



may go). 



The persons of the imperative, except the second persons 

 singular and plural, are to be rendered into English by may or 

 let ; as, bendiganos el Senor, may the Lord bless us ; vaya Juan, 

 let John go. But vmd., with its objective cases, although of the 

 third person, is to be rendered as the second person ; as, venga 

 vmd. conmigo, come with me (let your worship come with me) ; 

 alabeso vmd., praise yourself (let your worship praise himself).* 



THE TENSES OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. 



The tenses of the subjunctive mood differ in signification from 

 those of the indicative only in expressing what they affirm in a con- 

 ditional or doubtful manner, while the tenses of the indicative 

 express certainty. Whenever, therefore, there is no doubt about 

 what we affirm, we must use the tenses of the indicative. 



The present tense of the subjunctive affirms some doubtful 

 action or event that may take place, and is generally preceded 

 by some conjunction or conjunctive phrase ; as 



Hac<5d esto para que vean vues- Do this in order that the<j may ste 

 tras buenas obras, your good \corks. 



As futurity is implied in the present tense of the subjunctive, 

 the first future of the subjunctive may be used in its place; thus 

 we may say, aunque lloremos, though u-e may weep ; or aunque 

 lloraremos, though we should weep. The present may therefore 

 be used instead of the future, and the future instead of the 

 present, unless the conjunction st (if) be employed, in which 

 case the present subjunctive cannot be used. 



The relative pronouns are generally followed by tho present 

 or some other tense of the subjunctive, when the sentence is 

 interrogative or negative, or expresses a doubt, wish, or condi- 

 tion ; as 



No conozco nna sola muger, J tnotc tof a single woman trhoM 

 cuya alma sea mas sensible que la soul (is) may be mono suuible than 

 de la Seiiora Loader, that of Mrs. Loader. 



Words which in English are compounds of ever such as quien- 

 quiora, whoever; cualquiera, whosoever, whichsoever; siempre 

 que, r-henever ; por mas que, however ; por mucho que, what' 

 ever in Spanish generally require the present or some of the 

 tenses of the subjunctive ; as 



Por grande que sea tu mdrito, Hoicerer great that thy merit maybe. 



The imperfect tense of the subjunctive affirms an action or 

 event of a doubtful or contingent kind as having to be, or to be 

 done, or as conceived by the mind as having taken place at some 

 time under certain conditions ; as 



Juan leeria, si turiera libro, or 

 Juan leeria, si tuviese libros, 



John would rtad, if he should 

 hate (if ke had) booU. 



In both Spanish and English the future is sometimes used as s 

 command ; as, no mataras, thou shall not kill, i.e., do not lift, or do not 

 commit murder. 



