Show time on the verb

Languages · Grammar Across Languages · ages 10-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What does hablo mean?
- I speak
- You eat
- They run
Which word is the verb in She walked home?
- She
- Walked
- Home
A tense shows time: past, present or future.
Circle one: True False
Spanish can pack person and time into one verb ending. What does English often do instead?
- Add a time word like yesterday
- Sing the sentence aloud
- Never show time at all
Which part of walked carries the time?
- The ed ending
- The letter w
- The word she
In yo hablo, the o ending marks I in the present.
Circle one: True False
She had completed it before lunch. When did the finishing happen?
- Right now
- After lunch
- Before another past moment, lunch
Ana writes hablo for both I speak and I spoke. What is her error?
- Nothing, one form covers both
- She used the present ending for the past
- Spanish has no past tense

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

I speak · Hablar means to speak, and the o ending points to I in the present.
Walked · Walked shows the action, and its ed ending also flags the past.
True · Past, present or future all live on the verb.
Add a time word like yesterday · Spanish packs time into the ending, while English often leans on extra words.
The ed ending · Ed is the time flag. Strip it and the past marking goes with it.
True · The o on hablo marks I in the present tense.
Before another past moment, lunch · Had completed looks back from a past moment, not from now.
She used the present ending for the past · Hablo is present. Yesterday needs a past ending instead.