Ayer estaba cansado.
English: I was tired yesterday.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A0
- Unit
- Señales básicas de tiempo verbal
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Past and future signal words help beginners map language to time without full tense complexity.
When to use it
Use these words to introduce basic past/future meaning and simple verb patterns.
Key forms
- past: yesterday, last week, before
- future: tomorrow, next week, after
- cues: went / was / will go / going to
Examples
¿Llamaste anoche?
English: Did you call me last night?
Viajaremos mañana.
English: We will travel tomorrow.
Ella estudiará después.
English: She will study later.
Tips
- Learn a small core list of time words and reuse them.
- In beginner questions about the past, use the correct past verb form.
- For basic future meaning, 'ir a' + infinitive or future tense is common.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Spoken Spanish also uses 'ir a' + infinitive for future plans, usually introduced after basic future tense.