Definition of the Preterite Tense in Spanish

Definition of the Preterite Tense in Spanish Definition of the Preterite Tense The preterite (often spelled preterit) verb tense is the tense that expresses an action that took  place at a definite time in the past. It is contrasted with the imperfect tense, which expresses an action that took place at an indefinite time or has not been completed. The preterite is the tense that would normally be thought of as the past tense in English. The preterite is also known as the simple past tense in English and as the pretà ©rito indefinido or pretà ©rito perfecto simple in Spanish. When To Use the Preterite In general, the preterite is used in referring to events that happened at a specific time or to repeated events that happened over a specific time. A simple example would be Ayer yo buscaba las llaves (I looked for the keys yesterday) because the event happened at a specific time. If youre talking about something that didnt occur at a particular time, you usually would use the imperfect tense. For example, you might say, Yo buscaba las llaves en todas partes (I looked for the keys everywhere), as its unspecified when you did the searching. Some Spanish words and phrases, sometimes known as indicators, always or nearly always are used with the preterite. Among the common ones: anoche (last night)anteayer (the day before yesterday)h3Miscellaneous Facts About the Preterite/h3el aà ±o pasado (last year)ayer (yesterday)hace _____ (_____ ago)el mes pasado (last month)el otro dà ­a (the other day)la semana pasada (last week) Conjugation of the Preterite Here are the regular  conjugations  for the preterite  -ar,  -er, and  -ir  verbs. The endings, added to the verb stems, are shown in boldface: Example  -ar  verb  cantar  (to sing): yo cantà ©Ã‚  (I sang)tà º cantaste  (you sang)usted/à ©l/ella cantà ³Ã‚  (you/he/she/it sang)nosotros/nosotras cantamos  (we sang)vosotros/vosotras cantasteis  (you sang)ustedes/ellos/ellas cantaron  (you/they sang) Example  -er  verb  temer  (to fear): yo temà ­Ã‚  (I feared)tà º temiste  (you feared)usted/à ©l/ella temià ³Ã‚  (you/he/she/it feared)nosotros/nosotras temimos  (we feared)vosotros/vosotras temisteis  (you feared)ustedes/ellos/ellas temieron  (you/they feared) Example  -ir  verb  partir  (to divide): yo partà ­Ã‚  (I divided)tà º partiste  (you divided)usted/à ©l/ella partià ³Ã‚  (you/he/she/it divided)nosotros/nosotras partimos  (we divided)vosotros/vosotras partisteis  (you divided)ustedes/ellos/ellas partieron  (you/they divided) Note that in the first-person plural or we forms, the forms are the same for both the  present  and imperfect tenses. In other words,  cantamos  can mean either we sing or we sang. Context will nearly always tell you which translation is appropriate. Sample Sentences Using the Preterite Pablo me hablà ³. (Pablo spoke to me.) Ana escribià ³ la carta. (Ana wrote the letter). Hace dos aà ±os fuimos a Nueva Zelanda. (Two years ago we went to New Zealand.) Se se cayà ³ tu celular al agua y no sabes que hacer, no desesperes. (If your cellphone fell into the water and you dont know what to do, dont worry.) Se puso el sol. (The sun set.) Compraron dos respiradores para el hospital. (They bought two respirators for the hospital.) El aà ± aà ±o pasado, esperamos las lluvias, pero nunca llegaron. (Last year we expected the rains, but they never came.) Anteayer estudiamos la epidemia de Barcelona de 1821. (The day before yesterday we studied the 1821 Barcelona epidemic. Note that without anteayear, the sentence would be ambiguous as to whether the studying occurred in the past or is currently taking place.) Ayear  fui el mejor dà ­a de mi vida. (Yesterday  was the best day of my life.) Mirà © a la derecha y ella mirà ³ a la izquierda. (I looked to the right and she looked to the left.)   Miscellaneous Facts About Using the Preterite The preterite is nearly always used in discussing events that happened only one time. El concierto fue un à ©xito. (The concert was a success.) One use of the preterite is to indicate that a process has become complete. La estudiante alcanzà ³ el tà ­tulo de campeà ³n. (The student took  the title of champion.) The preterite can also be used to indicate the beginning of a process: Guillermo conocà ­ a mi madre. (Guillermo met my mother. Note that conocer can mean to know or to meet. The translation of met is used because it refers to the moment that the two people began to know each other.)Tuve el coche perfecto. (I got the perfect car. If you used the imperfect form, tenà ­a, the verb would indicate ownership of the car rather than the obtaining of it.)

Learn About the History of the Microphone

Learn About the History of the Microphone A microphone is a device for converting acoustic power into electric power with essentially similar wave characteristics. These devices convert sound waves into electrical voltages that are subsequently converted back into sound waves and amplified through speakers. Today, microphones are most often associated with the music and entertainment industries, but the devices date back as far as the 1600s when scientists began seeking out ways in which they could amplify sound. The 1600s 1665: While the word â€Å"microphone† wasn’t used until the 19th century, English physicist and inventor Robert Hooke is credited with developing an acoustic cup and string style phone and is considered a pioneer in the field of transmitting sound across distances. The 1800s 1827: Sir Charles Wheatstone was the first person to coin the phrase microphone. A renowned English physicist and inventor, Wheatstone is best known for inventing the telegraph. His interests were varied, and he devoted some of his time the study of acoustics during the 1820s. Wheatstone was among the first scientists to formally recognize that sound was transmitted by waves through mediums. This knowledge led him to explore ways of transmitting sounds from one place to another, even over long distances. He worked on a device that could amplify weak sounds, which he called a microphone. 1876: Emile Berliner invented what many consider the first modern microphone while working with famed inventor Thomas Edison. Berliner, a German-born American, was best known for his invention of the Gramophone and the gramophone record, which he patented in 1887. After seeing a Bell Company demonstration at the U.S. Centennial Exposition, Berliner was inspired to find ways to improve the newly invented telephone. The Bell Telephone Companys management was impressed with the device he came up with, a telephone voice transmitter, and bought Berliners microphone patent for $50,000. (Berliners original patent was overturned and later credited to Edison.) 1878: Just a couple years after Berliner and Edison created their microphone, David Edward Hughes, a British-American inventor/music professor, developed the first carbon microphone. Hughess microphone was the early prototype for the various carbon microphones still in use today. The 20th Century 1915: The development of the vacuum tube ampliï ¬ er helped improve the volume output for devices, including the microphone. 1916: The condenser microphone, often referred to as a capacitor or an electrostatic microphone, was patented by inventor E.C. Wente while working at Bell Laboratories. Wente had been tasked with improving the audio quality for telephones but his innovations also enhanced the microphone. 1920s: As broadcast radio became one of the premier sources for news and entertainment around the world, the demand for improved microphone technology grew. In response, the RCA Company developed the first ribbon microphone, the PB-31/PB-17, for radio broadcasting. 1928: In Germany, Georg Neumann and Co. was founded and rose to fame for its microphones. Georg Neumann designed the first commercial condenser microphone, nicknamed â€Å"the bottle† because of its shape. 1931: Western Electric marketed its 618 Electrodynamic Transmitter, the ï ¬ rst dynamic microphone. 1957: Raymond A. Litke, an electrical engineer with Educational Media Resources and San Jose State College  invented and filed a patent for the first wireless microphone. It was designed for multimedia applications including television,  radio, and higher education. 1959: The Unidyne III microphone was the first uni-directional device designed to collect sound from the top of the microphone, rather than the side. This set a new level of design for microphones in the future. 1964: Bell Laboratories researchers James West and Gerhard Sessler received patent no. 3,118,022 for the electroacoustic transducer, an electret microphone. The electret microphone offered greater reliability and higher precision at a lower cost and with a smaller size. It revolutionized the microphone industry, with almost one billion units manufactured each year. 1970s: Both dynamic and condenser mics were further enhanced, allowing for a lower sound level sensitivity and a clearer sound recording. A number of miniature mics were also developed during this decade. 1983: Sennheiser developed the first clip-on microphones: one that was a directional mic (MK# 40) and one that was designed for the studio (MKE 2). These microphones are still popular today. 1990s: Neumann introduced the KMS 105, a condenser model designed for live performances, setting a new standard for quality. The 21st Century 2000s: MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) microphones begin making inroads in portable devices including cell phones, headsets, and laptops. The trend for miniature mics continues with applications such as wearable devices, smart home, and automobile technology, 2010: The Eigenmike was released, a microphone that is composed of several high-quality microphones arranged on the surface of a solid sphere, allowing the sound to be captured from a variety of directions. This allowed for greater control when editing and rendering sound. Sources Leslie, Clara Louise,  Who Invented the Microphone?  Radio Broadcast, 1926Who Invented the Microphone: How Emile Berliner came up with the invention and how it has impacted the broadcasting industry. The History Engine. Digital Scholarship Lab.  The University of Richmond,  © 2008–2015  Shechmeister, Matthew. The Birth of the Microphone: How Sound Became Signal. Wired.com. January 11, 2011Bartelbaugh, Ron. Trends in Technology: Microphones. RadioWorld. December 1, 2010