Spanish grammar
Present, perfect, preterite, ir a — all together
Tell someone important news using the tenses you already know.
From the scene ¡Vienen mis padres! (My parents are coming!)
In short
Mix four time forms: present for now, perfect for today's news, preterite for finished actions, ir a for plans.
Your turn
Which one goes with what have they told you? (perfect)?
Options: llamaron / compraron · ¿qué te han dicho? · vienen / aterriza
Show answer
what have they told you? (perfect) → ¿qué te han dicho?
How it works
You already know four ways to talk about time.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
Esta mañana me (blank) mis padres.
Options: llamaron · llamé · llamamos
Show answer
Esta mañana me llamaron mis padres.
This morning my parents called me.
Good to know
The present (vienen, aterriza), the perfect for news from today (¿qué ha pasado?, ¿qué te han dicho? — very typical in Spain), the preterite for a finished action (llamaron, compraron — Latin Americans like Javi use it even for today), and ir a for plans (vamos a preparar).
Good to know
Real conversations mix all of them.
they are coming / it lands (present) vienen / aterriza
Javi
El vuelo aterriza el sábado.
The flight lands on Saturday.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
El vuelo (blank) el sábado.
Options: aterriza · qué te han dicho · compraron
Show answer
Javi
El vuelo aterriza el sábado.
The flight lands on Saturday.
what have they told you? (perfect) ¿qué te han dicho?
Nuria
¿Y qué te han dicho?
And what did they tell you?
Your turn
What fills the gap?
¿Y (blank)?
Options: aterriza · compraron · qué te han dicho
Show answer
Nuria
¿Y qué te han dicho?
And what did they tell you?
they called / they bought (preterite) llamaron / compraron
Javi
¡Vienen a Madrid! Ya compraron los pasajes.
They're coming to Madrid! They've already bought the tickets.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
¡Vienen a Madrid! Ya (blank) los pasajes.
Options: compraron · aterriza · qué te han dicho
Show answer
Javi
¡Vienen a Madrid! Ya compraron los pasajes.
They're coming to Madrid! They've already bought the tickets.
we are going to get ready (ir a) vamos a preparar
Nuria
Tranquilo. Vamos a preparar todo.
Relax. We're going to get everything ready.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Tranquilo. (blank) todo.
Options: Vamos a preparar · Aterriza · Qué te han dicho
Show answer
Nuria
Tranquilo. Vamos a preparar todo.
Relax. We're going to get everything ready.
Common mistake
Not ha or he here. They = his parents.
¿Y qué te han dicho?
And what did they tell you?
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| they are coming / it lands (present) | vienen / aterriza |
|---|---|
| what have they told you? (perfect) | ¿qué te han dicho? |
| they called / they bought (preterite) | llamaron / compraron |
| we are going to get ready (ir a) | vamos a preparar |
More lines from the story
- JaviEsta mañana me llamaron mis padres.This morning my parents called me.
- Nuria¿Qué ha pasado? Cuéntame.What's happened? Tell me.