To help you understand the difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses when we talk about things that happened in the past, let’s simplify it!

1. The Basics: Preterite vs. Imperfect

• Preterite Tense:

  • We use this tense when we want to talk about actions that are finished.

  • It answers the question, “What happened?”

  • Examples of Conjugation:

    • For regular verbs:
      • hablar (to talk): hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron
      • comer (to eat): comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron
    • For some irregular verbs:
      • ir (to go): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
      • ser (to be): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron

• Imperfect Tense:

  • We use this tense to describe actions that were happening over time in the past, things that happened regularly, or to share background information.

  • It answers the questions, “What was happening?” or “What used to happen?”

  • Examples of Conjugation:

    • For regular verbs:
      • hablar: hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban
      • comer: comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían
    • For some irregular verbs:
      • ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
      • ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
      • ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

2. When to Use Each Tense

Here are some examples to show the differences:

Using the Preterite:

• Completed Actions:
  • Ayer, comí una pizza. (Yesterday, I ate a pizza.)

Using the Imperfect:

• Ongoing Actions:
  • Cuando era niño, comía pizza todos los viernes. (When I was a child, I used to eat pizza every Friday.)
• Habitual Actions:
  • Todos los veranos, íbamos a la playa. (Every summer, we went to the beach.)

3. Helpful Keywords

Some special words can help you decide which tense to use:

Keywords for Preterite:

• Ayer (yesterday)
• Anoche (last night)
• Una vez (once)
• El año pasado (last year)

Keywords for Imperfect:

• A menudo (often)
• Siempre (always)
• Nunca (never)
• Mientras (while)

4. Practice with Sentences

Try translating these sentences. Think about which tense to use:

1. (I used to play) de niño, ________ (ir) al parque todos los días.

   • Right Answer: de niño, iba al parque todos los días.

2. (Last week, I bought) un libro nuevo.

   • Right Answer: La semana pasada, compré un libro nuevo.

5. In Summary

To sum it up, use the preterite tense for actions that are finished and specific.

Use the imperfect tense for actions that were ongoing, repeated, or unfinished in the past.

With practice, you will get better at knowing which tense to use. Always look for clues and keywords to help you decide between these two important past tenses in Spanish.