Uptown Funk: A Spanish Music Video for the Imperfect Tense

Uptown Funk: A Spanish Music Video for the Imperfect Tense is a fun and educational way to learn the imperfect tense in Spanish. The video features well-known Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz and is sure to get you moving and groove along while you learn.

Introduction

Spanish teacher Julianne Chirico uses the popular song “Uptown Funk” to teach the imperfect tense in Spanish. She created a music video that is both fun and informative, perfect for Spanish students of all ages.

The Imperfect Tense in Spanish

Uptown Funk is a Spanish music video that uses the imperfect tense throughout the song. The imperfect tense is used to describe past actions that were ongoing or habitual. This video is a great way to learn the imperfect tense because it uses the verb “ir” which is conjugated differently than other verbs in the imperfect tense.

What is the imperfect tense?

The imperfect tense is one of the two simple past tenses in Spanish. It is used to describe habitual or repeated actions in the past, as well as describe ongoing actions in the past. The imperfect tense is conjugated using regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs endings. In addition, there are 4 irregular verbs in the imperfect tense.

When do we use the imperfect tense?

We use the imperfect tense to describe what was happening, or what used to happen, in the past. This is in contrast to the preterite tense, which we use to describe what happened at a specific time in the past.

Here are some examples of when you would use the imperfect tense:
-To describe someone’s personality: Era una persona muy simpática. (She was a very friendly person.)
-To describe someone’s physical appearance: Era rubia y alta. (She was blond and tall.)
-To describe someone’s daily routine: Mi abuela siempre se levantaba a las seis. (My grandmother always used to get up at six o’clock.)
-To describe an ongoing action in the past: Estudiaba español dos horas cada día. (I used to study Spanish for two hours every day.)

Uptown Funk: A Spanish Music Video for the Imperfect Tense

I recently came across a music video in Spanish that I think is absolutely fantastic. It’s called “Uptown Funk” and it’s a cover of the song by Bruno Mars. The video is a great way to learn the Spanish imperfect tense. It’s also just a lot of fun to watch!

The video

The video begins by showing a street in what appears to be New York City. There are yellow taxis and people walking on the sidewalk. The setting looks like it could be in the present, but there are some clues that it might be in the past. For example, there is a pay phone on the sidewalk and one of the people is carrying a boom box.

The next scene shows two people dancing. They are clearly enjoying themselves and their low-key moves suggest that they are not professional dancers. The woman is wearing a dress that looks like it could be from the 1950s or 1960s, and the man is wearing baggy clothes with his hat turned backwards. This clue, along with the pay phone, suggests that the setting might be in the past.

As the song continues, more people join in the dancing. Some of them are dressed in modern clothing, but others are wearing clothes from different eras. This mix of time periods is one of the things that makes the video so much fun to watch.

Near the end of the song, there is a shot of a man playing drums on a street corner. He is surrounded by people who are clapping along with his rhythms. This image sums up the spirit of the entire video: people from different walks of life coming together and enjoying themselves, despite their differences.

The lyrics

Do you know what I’m talking about?
Canción de Mark Ronson y Bruno Mars
Orquesta instrumental: The Hooligans

¡Eh, eh!
¡Sí, yay! ¡Bien, bien!
¡Eh, eh! ¡Dale!
¡Sí, yay! ¡Bailar!
Trazamos un plan para hacerte bailar (oh)
Vamos a quemar este lugar
sabes que esto es arriba del funk (funk)
Así que vamos a darle con el truco (oh hey)

Arriba, abajo, arriba, abajo
¿Te gusta? No pares
Arriba, abajo, arriba, abajo
¿Te gusta? No pares

Somos lo más pegajoso parece tú eres fan de Uptown Funk (Oh hey)
Estoy ardiendo un fuego en el cocheerro, ella tiene un cuerpo tan caliente Que necesito un j going sobre ella y probarla como un helado Yo necesito encontrar un paquete y comprarla (paquetico paquetico) Dile a ese disco giradiscoteca Suéltame mi sujetador de sujetadores Debo hacer que se rompan los pantalones Soltar todos mis problemas Es facil bailando con los compas Mirame mientras yo Zach King Muevo mi cadera con facilidad (con facilidad) Ay vamos chicas break it down Ay traiga el ron con la Coca Cola Nos subimos en este funk hecho para ti Y lahechura lo llevaremos hastra el amanecer Hastade que la gente digade Dee-oh-double G te vas Uptown Funk Te vas Uptown Funk Te vas Uptown Funk Te vas Uptown Funk

Conclusion

Now that you’ve seen the video and been exposed to the various uses of the imperfect tense, it’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice. Start by watching the video again and listening for when the speakers use the imperfect. As you listen, make a note of what each speaker is doing or talking about in each scene.

Then, take a few minutes to write your own imperfect story by completing the following sentence with as many different verbs in the imperfect tense as you can think of:

En aquel tienda, yo______.

In that store, I______.