AP Spanish : Spanish Verbs

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Spanish

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Participles / Participios

Which verb best completes the sentence?

Mi coche no está __________, tengo que arreglarlo.

Possible Answers:

roto

funciona

funcionando

trabajando

Correct answer:

funcionando

Explanation:

The present participle funcionando is correct; funciona is in the wrong tense; roto doesn't make sense in context (one doesn't fix a car that isn't broken); trabajando is bad Spanish and wrong in context, although it is in the right tense.(Machines function, men and animals work).

Example Question #2 : Participles / Participios

Which verb best completes the sentence?

La pagina de la red se está __________.

Possible Answers:

cargaba

cargó

cargando

filtra

Correct answer:

cargando

Explanation:

The estar + gerund structure of this sentence means that only right answer is the gerund, cargando.

Example Question #3 : Participles / Participios

Which verb best completes this sentence?

Mereces un pena doblada, buen rey, porque has __________ a sus amigos más leales.

Possible Answers:

traicionado

traicionó

traicionaste

traicionando

Correct answer:

traicionado

Explanation:

The verb has (haber) requires the past participle, the only example of which here is traicionado.

Example Question #1 : Future Perfect / El Futuro Perfecto

Fill in the blank with the correct answer. 

__________ mi tarea antes del examen mañana. 

Possible Answers:

Hice

Hecho

He hecho

Habré hecho

Había hecho

Correct answer:

Habré hecho

Explanation:

The only possible tense that can be used correctly here is the future perfect, which uses the past participle of "hacer," "hecho" and the future form of the verb "haber," "habré."

Example Question #1 : Past Tenses

Fill in the blank with the correct response. 

Ellos _________ en la calle cuando vieron a Claudia.

Possible Answers:

caminaban

caminaron 

habían caminado

han caminado 

habrán caminado

Correct answer:

caminaban

Explanation:

In the first part of the sentence, the action that was interrupted before they saw Claudia was an action in progress in the past; therefore the imperfect tense must be used.

Example Question #2 : Past Tenses

Which is the correct verb form?

Estaba andando en el parque cuando, de repente, un ciervo me __________.

Possible Answers:

sorprendía

sorprendió

sorprenderá

sorprendido

Correct answer:

sorprendió

Explanation:

This sentence expresses the completed action of the deer surprising me in the park, thus the preterite tense is the only correct response.

Example Question #1 : Preterite / El Pretérito

Which verb form is correct in context?

Estaba andando en la calle cuando, de repente, un ladrón __________ robarme. 

Possible Answers:

intentaban

intentó

intenté 

intentaba

Correct answer:

intentó

Explanation:

An interrupted action sequence requires the imperfect tense for the interrupted action and the preterite tense for the interrupting action, in this case, "intentó." The other verbs either do not agree in tense or in number with "un ladrón."

English translation: "I was walking in the street when, all of a sudden, a thief tried to rob me."

Example Question #3 : Verb Tense In Spanish

Which verb form properly completes the sentence?

__________ cerca de la orilla del rio cuando, de repente, vi un pez.

Possible Answers:

Andaba

Anduve

Andé

Andaré

Correct answer:

Andaba

Explanation:

The first verb conveys an action that is interrupted, so it needs to be in the imperfect tense. Only "Andaba" is the first person imperfect form of "andar" (to walk). 

English translation: "I was walking near the bank of the river when, all of a sudden, I saw a fish."

Example Question #4 : Verb Tense In Spanish

Fill in the blank with the correct answer. 

Cuando llegaron ayer, tú ya __________.

Possible Answers:

había comido

has comido

habrías comido

comiste

habías comido

Correct answer:

habías comido

Explanation:

The first part of the sentence, "when they arrived yesterday," is in the preterite; the next clause that has the word "ya," "already," in it, implies the next action had occurred before the first one; therefore we need the past perfect tense, which in the 2nd person singular would be, habías comido. 

Example Question #51 : Ap Spanish Language

Which verb best completes this sentence?

Si hubiera hecho el crimen, __________ culpable, pero no lo hice.

Possible Answers:

none of the other answers

sería

estuviera

estaría

Correct answer:

sería

Explanation:

This is a classic conditional haber/ser structure: the right answer is sería; estaría is in the right tense but does not agree with the adjective; estuviera both does not agree with the adjective and is in the wrong tense.

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