Talking about time: first tenses · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Show when something happens

Languages · Grammar Across Languages · ages 10-12
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What does the Spanish form hablo mean?

    • I speak
    • You speak
    • They speak

  2. Which word is the verb in She walked home?

    • She
    • walked
    • home

  3. Tense helps show when an action or state happens.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Compare English I will speak with Spanish Yo hablaré. How do these forms show future time?

    • English adds will; Spanish changes the ending.
    • English adds yesterday; Spanish keeps hablo.
    • English changes speak to spoke; Spanish adds yo.

  5. Compare I walk with I walked. Which part of walked marks the past?

    • The stem walk
    • The subject I
    • The ending -ed

  6. Changing Yo hablo to Yo hablé changes who is speaking.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Yesterday at noon, Ari arrived. By then, Bea had completed the puzzle. Which event happened first?

    • Both events happened at once
    • Ari arrived at noon yesterday
    • Bea completed the puzzle

  8. Ana wants to describe a completed action yesterday. She writes Ayer hablo for I spoke yesterday. What needs changing?

    • She used a past form for a present event.
    • She kept a present form for a past event.
    • She changed the speaker to another person.
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Answer key

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

Show when something happens W1-mt_6526HcZG0R-s1

  1. I speak · Hablo is the taught present form meaning I speak.
  2. walked · Walked names the action. She tells who did it, and home tells where she went.
  3. True · Tense helps place an action or state in time.
  4. English adds will; Spanish changes the ending. · Will is the English helper in will speak. Hablaré adds a future ending to hablar.
  5. The ending -ed · Walk stays the same. The added -ed makes the past form walked.
  6. False · Both forms refer to I. The tense changes, but the person stays the same in this pair.
  7. Bea completed the puzzle · Had completed places Bea's finish before the past reference point, Ari's arrival at noon.
  8. She kept a present form for a past event. · Ayer means yesterday, but hablo is present. The taught completed-past form is hablé: Ayer hablé.
Worksheet · LightMySky