The Big 5 Verbs (Past Tense)
The “Big 5” are among the most useful and commonly used phrases a person can learn. Mastering these makes almost any other vocabulary words usable in practical conversations.
Can
Going to
Need
Have (to)
Want
To turn “Have” into “Have to”, simply add “que”.
Example: Tengo – I have; Tengo que – I have to.
Example: Tengo – I have; Tengo que – I have to.
Poder
| Spanish | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Podía | I could |
| Podías | You could |
| Podía | He/She/It could |
| Podíamos | We could |
| Podían | You all/They could |
Ir a
| Spanish | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Iba a | I was going to |
| Ibas a | You were going to |
| Iba a | He/She/It was going to |
| Íbamos a | We were going to |
| Iban a | You all/They were going to |
Necesitar
| Spanish | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Necesitaba | I needed |
| Necesitabas | You needed |
| Necesitaba | He/She/It needed |
| Necesitábamos | We needed |
| Necesitaban | You all/They needed |
Tener (que)
| Spanish | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Tenía (que) | I had (to) |
| Tenías (que) | You had (to) |
| Tenía (que) | He/She/It had (to) |
| Teníamos (que) | We had (to) |
| Tenían (que) | You all/They had (to) |
Querer
| Spanish | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Quería | I wanted |
| Querías | You wanted |
| Quería | He/She/It wanted |
| Queríamos | We wanted |
| Querían | You all/They wanted |
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