Understanding Spanish Storytelling: Preterite vs. Imperfect Tenses

When you tell stories in Spanish, it’s really important to know when to use the preterite and imperfect tenses.

Both tenses talk about things that happened in the past, but they serve different purposes.

Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used for actions that are finished and have a clear beginning and end.

Here are some things to remember:

• Example Sentences:

  • "Ayer, fui al cine." (Yesterday, I went to the movies.)
  • "Ella escribió una carta." (She wrote a letter.)

• Words to Look For:
  This tense often uses words like "ayer" (yesterday), "anoche" (last night), "el año pasado" (last year), and "de repente" (suddenly).

• How to Use It:
  Regular verbs change their endings in the preterite tense:

  • For -ar verbs: é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron
  • For -er/-ir verbs: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron

Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense is used when actions were happening over time. It also helps describe things, talk about habits, and express feelings.

• Example Sentences:

  • "Cuando era niño, iba al parque." (When I was a kid, I used to go to the park.)
  • "Estaba lloviendo." (It was raining.)

• Words to Look For:
  It often uses words like "siempre" (always), "a menudo" (often), "cada día" (every day), and "mientras" (while).

• How to Use It:
  Here’s how to change regular verbs:

  • For -ar verbs: aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban
  • For -er/-ir verbs: ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían

Using Both Tenses Together

When telling stories, you often use both tenses.

You can show actions (with the preterite) and provide background information (with the imperfect):

• Example:
  "Mientras él caminaba, escuchó música." (While he was walking, he heard music.)
  In this sentence, "caminaba" is imperfect because it sets the scene. Meanwhile, "escuchó" is preterite because it tells us what happened.

Practice Making Your Own Sentences

To get better at using these tenses, try this:

1. Write a short paragraph about a special event in your life using both tenses.
2. Underline the preterite verbs and highlight the imperfect verbs.

By learning how to use the preterite and imperfect tenses, you’ll be able to tell better stories in Spanish and have more interesting conversations!