Explicar una història amb antecedents
Sé construir un relat on una part dels fets explica el que va passar després.
Temps declarat del nucli. Dos blocs del nucli no porten cap xifra, per tant la lliçó real és més llarga que aquesta suma.
Gramàtica
14 minA la lliçó B1 #1 el Past Perfect anava en una sola frase, al costat del Past Simple. Un relat de veritat és més llarg, i hi treballen tres temps del passat alhora. Cadascun té el seu paper, i si es barregen, qui escolta deixa d'entendre què va passar abans i què després.
La forma ja la coneixes. Past Simple (A2 #1): I left, I didn't leave. Past Continuous (A2 #2): I was leaving, They were talking. Past Perfect (B1 #1): I had left.
Qui s'encarrega de què:
| temps | paper | a quina pregunta respon | exemple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | la cadena de fets | què va passar després? | I got up, had breakfast and left. |
| Past Continuous | el fons, el procés en aquell moment | què passava al voltant? | It was raining, people were hurrying to work. |
| Past Perfect | els antecedents | què havia passat abans? | I had forgotten my umbrella. |
Un relat es pot imaginar com una pel·lícula. El Past Simple fa avançar l'acció: cada fet nou és el pla següent. El Past Continuous és el decorat, el que ja estava en marxa quan ha començat el pla. El Past Perfect és una mirada curta enrere: què havia passat abans d'aquesta escena i per què és com és.
Com trobar el punt del relat. Pregunta't: de quin moment estic parlant ara? Tot el que passa en aquest moment i després, Past Simple. Tot el que en aquest moment ja estava en marxa, Past Continuous. Tot el que s'havia acabat abans, Past Perfect. El punt es mou amb l'acció; per això un mateix fet va en Past Simple al començament de la història, i un paràgraf més endavant, quan s'hi torna, ja va en Past Perfect.
Les conjuncions que mantenen l'ordre:
| conjunció | significat | exemple |
|---|---|---|
| when | quan | When I got home, my sister had made dinner. |
| after | després que | After I had finished the report, I went home. |
| before | abans que | I checked the windows before I left. |
| as soon as | tan bon punt | As soon as I saw the time, I jumped up. |
| by the time | per quan (quan… ja) | By the time we arrived, the shop had closed. |
Després d'after i before el Past Perfect no és obligatori: la conjunció ja diu què va ser abans. After I finished the report, I went home és tan correcte com amb had finished. Amb as soon as, normalment tots dos verbs van en Past Simple: un fet va just darrere de l'altre.
by the time gairebé sempre demana Past Perfect a la part principal. Vol dir «en el moment en què…», i el fet principal en aquell moment ja s'havia acabat: By the time we arrived, everyone had left.
Compara tres respostes a la pregunta de què feia la meva germana quan vaig arribar:
| When I got home, my sister made dinner. | Vaig arribar, i ella es va posar a fer el sopar. |
| When I got home, my sister was making dinner. | Justament estava fent el sopar. |
| When I got home, my sister had made dinner. | El sopar ja estava fet. |
El començament és el mateix, però les històries són tres. La diferència la fa només el temps del verb.
La regla de la mesura. El Past Perfect serveix per fer un pas enrere, no per quedar-s'hi. En uns antecedents llargs es posa a la primera o la segona frase, i després es passa al Past Simple: l'ordre ja és clar:
I had met Anna years before, in Edinburgh. We worked in the same café and shared a flat. Then she moved to Canada, and we lost touch.
L'ordre de les parts és lliure. L'anglès sovint comença per la conseqüència i després n'explica la causa: I couldn't get in because I had lost my keys. Si la part amb la conjunció va primer, darrere s'hi posa una coma: By the time we arrived, the shop had closed.
Així no es diu. ✗ After I had finished, I had gone home → ✓ After I had finished, I went home. El fet posterior és precisament el punt del relat, i porta Past Simple.
Posa't a prova. Què vol dir When I got home, my sister had made dinner: va començar a cuinar quan vas arribar o el sopar ja era a taula? Cal el Past Perfect a After I ___ (finish), I went home? Quin temps va normalment a la part principal després de by the time?
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Errors dels parlants de català
adaptada al teu idiomaby the time when
«Per quan vam arribar, la botiga ja havia tancat» → ✗ By the time when we arrived, the shop had closed → ✓ By the time we arrived, the shop had closed. «Per quan» porta a dins un «quan», i fa venir ganes d'afegir when. Però by the time ja inclou el «quan».
L'imperfet traduït amb el Past Simple
«Quan vaig entrar, tothom seia a taula i parlava». When I came in, everybody sat at the table and talked vol dir en anglès: vaig entrar, i llavors tothom es va asseure i es va posar a parlar. Per dir «seia i parlava» cal ✓ everybody was sitting at the table and talking. L'imperfet català és una sola paraula i sembla que li correspon el Past Simple; però el fons, en anglès, va en Past Continuous (A2 #2).
before i after amb infinitiu
✗ I checked the windows before to leave
✓ I checked the windows before I left
«Abans de sortir», «després d'acabar» porten infinitiu, i surt before to leave, after to finish. En anglès darrere de before i after no hi va mai to; el més senzill és una frase completa, amb subjecte i verb conjugat: before I left, after I had finished.
Pronunciació
4 minUna frase llarga es divideix en grups de sentit, i entre ells hi ha una pausa curta:
By the time I got to the office ‖ the meeting had already started. I had set my alarm for half past six ‖ but I hadn't heard it.
La pausa va a la frontera entre les parts, normalment allà on per escrit hi ha una coma o una conjunció. Entre el subjecte i el verb no se'n fa.
Al final de la primera part la veu puja una mica: és el senyal de «continuarà». Només baixa al final de tota la frase. Si baixes la veu després de By the time I got to the office, qui escolta pensarà que ja has acabat.
had als antecedents és feble: /həd/, i darrere d'un pronom, només /d/: I'd set my alarm /aɪd ˈset maɪ əˈlɑːm/.
Text
5 minBy the time I got to the office on Monday, the meeting had already started. It was not a good beginning to my first week in a new job.
I had set my alarm for half past six, but I hadn't heard it. The night before, I had worked on my presentation until two in the morning and had fallen asleep on the sofa with my laptop on my knees. When I finally woke up, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. It was ten to nine.
As soon as I saw the time, I jumped up, put on yesterday's shirt and ran to the bus stop. It was raining hard, and of course I had left my umbrella at the office on Friday.
When I opened the door of the meeting room, everyone turned round. My new manager was standing by the board, and somebody had already written half of the plan on it. I said sorry and sat down.
After the meeting had finished, my manager asked me to stay. I expected the worst. But she just smiled and said, "Don't worry. On my first day here, I came to work in my slippers."
Exercicis
30 min1. Omplir els buits.
- By the time I (get) to the office, the meeting (start)
- When I came in, my colleagues (discuss) the new project
- I (not / hear) my alarm because I (work) until two
- It (rain) hard, and I (leave) my umbrella at the office the day before
- As soon as she (see) the time, she (jump) up
- When we got to the party, most of the guests (already / go) home
- While I (wait) for the bus, I (realise) that I (leave) my phone at home
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2. Triar.
- we got to the cinema, the film had already started. (by the time / as soon as)
- I saw the message, I called her back. (as soon as / by the time)
- I always check the windows I leave the house. (before / after)
- she had paid the bill, she left the restaurant. (after / before)
- I opened the door, the dog ran out into the street. (when / by the time)
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3. Unir les dues frases
- The shop closed. + We arrived. (by the time)
- I finished the report. + I went home. (after)
- Everyone left. + The police came. (by the time)
- She read the instructions twice. + She started. (before)
- The guests went home. + I finished the washing-up. (by the time)
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4. Trobar l'error i corregir-lo.
- By the time when we arrived, the shop had closed.
- After I had finished, I had gone home.
- When I came in, she was cooked dinner.
- I couldn't get in because I have lost my keys.
- By the time we got there, the shop has closed.
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5. Reescriure començant per la conseqüència.
- I lost my keys, so I couldn't get in.
- She forgot her passport, so she missed the flight.
- We didn't book a table, so we had to wait.
- He worked all night, so he was exhausted.
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6. Convertir la pista en una resposta completa
- Why was the street wet? (it / rain / in the night)
- Why didn't you recognise Tom? (he / grow / a beard)
- Why was Anna so happy? (she / pass / her driving test)
- Why were you late for the meeting? (I / miss / the bus)
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7. Traduir a l'anglès.
1) Per quan vam arribar, tothom ja havia marxat. 2) Quan vaig entrar, tothom seia a taula i parlava. 3) Tan bon punt vaig veure el missatge, li vaig trucar. 4) No vaig sentir el despertador perquè havia treballat fins a les dues de la matinada.
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Resum
Après en aquesta lliçó: tres temps del passat en un sol relat, when, after, before, as soon as, by the time, la regla de la mesura, l'ordre «conseqüència — causa». A continuació, la lliçó 3: la frontera exacta del perfet.
Final del nucli
La lliçó es considera feta quan s’han completat els exercicis. Tot el que hi ha després és opcional.
opcional
Vocabulari per a la baralla
15 paraules- alarm /əˈlɑːm/ despertador
- set /set/ posar, programar
- presentation /ˌpreznˈteɪʃn/ presentació
- fall asleep /ˌfɔːl əˈsliːp/ adormir-se
- wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ despertar-se
- jump up /ˌdʒʌmp ˈʌp/ aixecar-se d'un salt
- umbrella /ʌmˈbrelə/ paraigua
- turn round /ˌtɜːn ˈraʊnd/ girar-se
- board /bɔːd/ pissarra
- colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/ company de feina, companya de feina
- manager /ˈmænɪdʒə/ gerent, mànager
- as soon as /əz ˈsuːn əz/ tan bon punt
- finally /ˈfaɪnəli/ finalment, per fi
- expect the worst /ɪkˌspekt ðə ˈwɜːst/ esperar-se el pitjor
- lose touch /ˌluːz ˈtʌtʃ/ perdre el contacte
Escriptura
Sis-vuit frases: el relat d'un matí o d'un dia que va anar malament. Calen els tres temps: la cadena de fets, el fons i els antecedents.
Model
By the time I got to the airport, they had closed the check-in desk. I had left home early, but there had been an accident on the motorway. While we were sitting in the traffic, I was checking the time every minute. When I finally ran into the terminal, the screen said "Gate closed". As soon as I saw it, I called my sister. She laughed and said, "Come and stay with us instead."
Llista de comprovació
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⚑ opcional