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PRETERITE VS. IMPERFECTWhen to use these past tenses
Spanish has 2 simple past tenses: PRETERITE and IMPERFECT.
These two tenses are NOT interchangeable.
Each tense has specific meanings and uses.
When to Use the PreteriteWhen an action was completed
When an action was completed at a specific time
When an action was completed a specific number of times
When an action began or ended
When an action interrupts another action
For Preterite tense remember SIMBA
Sequence of events
I woke up, brushed my teeth, and took a shower.
Interruption
I was watching TV when the phone rang.
Main Event
The teacher yelled at the class.
Beginning/End of an event
The game ended at 5:00.
Action completed
I went to the mall yesterday.
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Review the Phrases that indicate use of the preterite
Ayer
Anteayer
Anoche
Desde el primer momento
Durante (dos siglos)
El otro (día)
En ese momento
Entonces
Esta (mañana)
(El año) pasado
Hace (dos días)
Por la mañana
A las 10:00
El martes/lunes/etc.
* Parenthesis indicate a measure of time that can be interchangeable.
Ex: (El año) pasado
El verano pasado
When to use the ImperfectTo state in general when an action took place
To describe background information
To express weather
To tell time
To tell age
To describe physical and mental states and conditions, including feelings
To express habitual actions
To express what used to happen
To express what was/were…ing
Imperfectremember DARE TWO B U
Description My mother was tall.
Age I was 18 years old.
Repeated Action I always got good grades. Every summer we went camping.
Emotion I was bored.
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Imperfectremember DARE TWO B U Time
It was 5:00 in the afternoon.
Weather It was raining.
Ongoing Action My mother was cleaning the kitchen.
Background information It was a rainy and foggy day. My sisters were playing and
my parents were reading the paper.
Use to…. I use to love that movie!
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Phrases that indicate use of the Imperfect
A menudo
A veces
Cada (día)
Nunca
Rara vez
Siempre
Casi siempre
En aquella época
Frecuentemente
Generalmente
Muchas veces
Mucho
De vez en cuando
Con frecuencia
¡OJO!
Ex. Yo conocí a mi mejor amiga hace tres años.
I met my best friend three years ago.
Yo conocía a Luisa bien cuando éramos niñas.
I used to know Luisa well when we were kids.
Some verbs change meaning depending on the use of
the preterite or the imperfect:
Verbs that change meaning in the preterite and imperfect
Preterite
Querer- tried
No querer-refused
Conocer-met
Saber-found out
Poder-succeeded
Tener-received
Imperfect
Querer-wanted
No querer- didn’t want to
Conocer-knew
Saber-knew
Poder-was able
Tener-used to have
Examples of the preterite tense
Paco trabajó en el supermercado hace dos años.
Paco worked at the supermarket 2 years ago.
Yo leí el periódico ayer por la tarde.
I read the newspaper yesterday afternoon.
Comimos una torta en la fiesta el viernes pasado.
We ate a cake at the party last Friday.
Examples of the imperfect tense
Hacía mal tiempo.
It was bad weather.
Yo tenía miedo de la tormenta.
I was afraid of the storm.
Mi abuelo tenía 84 años.
My grandfather was 84 years old.
Mi padre era un chico malo.
My father was a bad boy.
Examples of the preterite vs. the imperfect tenses
Beto estudió anoche.
Beto studied last night.
Beto estudiaba todas las noches.
Beto used to study every night.
Beto estudiaba cuando se durmió.
Beto was studying when he fell asleep.
Practice1. Anoche Luís comió/comía unos tacos.
2. Hace un año viajamos/viajábamos a Costa Rica.
3. Isabel tuvo/tenía seis años cuando aprendió/aprendía a montar la bicicleta.
4. Yo estuve/estaba en la clase de historia cuando mi mamá me llamó/llamaba.
5. Fueron/Eran las tres de la tarde cuando Marco llegó/llegaba a casa.
6. Tú siempre sacaste/sacabas buenas notas.
7. Manuela fue/era muy simpática.
8. El otro día yo fui/iba a la biblioteca.
9. Nosotras asistimos/asistíamos a la clase de baile solamente tres veces.
10. 10)De vez en cuando mi mamá cocinó/cocinaba comida china.
