How can I distinguish between the preterite and the imperfect in Spanish?

Hello, Rachel! Despite the fact that there are lots of specific rules on when to use each one of them, we could sum it up by saying that: - The "pretérito perfecto simple" is used to talk about actions in the past which are finished. For example: ayer fui al supermercado. - The "pretérito imperfecto" is used to describe actions which are part of a rutine in the past (cuando era pequeño, iba al parque todos los días), to tell a story (el gato jugaba con el perro), or, finally, to describe characters or objects of the story (la mujer tenía el pelo negro). I hope I have helped you! :) Xiana

Hola Rachel! There are 2 acronyms which stand for the use of these Past Tenses: preterite: S - single C - completed A - action P - in the past Examples: - José abrió sus ojos a la medianoche. Se levantó y trabajó en su proyecto por tres horas. José opened his eyes at midnight. He got up and worked three hours on his project. imperfect: D - description A - action in progress R - repeated action in the past T - time and age Examples: - Mi perro tenía ojos grandes y tristes. - Cuando yo le daba de comer el esperaba su comida con paciencia. - Cada día por la tarde nosotros tomábamos paseos muy largos. - Eran las cinco de la tarde cuando regresábamos a casa - Mi perro era un pastor alemán y tenía seis años. My dog had big and sad eyes. When I was feeding him he was waiting patiently for his food. Every day in the afternoon we taking long walks. It was five in the afternoon when we were returning home. My dog was a German shepherd and he was six years old. Rachel, I hope this explanation may help you understand better the difference and use of Preterite and Imperfect tenses in Spanish! Saludos, Alexander

The preterite is a "one and done" action in the past, while the imperfect is an action that happened continuously or more than once and might still happen again. For example, preterite would be-- "I swam in the lake last Tuesday," while imperfect would be-- "I went swimming every week for a year."

Hi, the Past imperfect is use normally for events that happened quite a long time ago, for example when somebody is telling a story from the past, Preterito or Indefinido, is a past tense for events that are finished and happened at certain specific time, Example of both together "Yo comia una manzana que cayó del árbol.", I hope this help, King Regards

Overview of Preterite and Imperfect Preterite (Pretérito):The preterite tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. It focuses on the action itself and often answers the question "What happened?" Imperfect (Imperfecto): The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It provides background information, sets the scene, or describes feelings and states. It often answers the question "What was happening?" or "What used to happen?" Uses and Examples Preterite Uses Completed Actions: Example: Ayer, fui al mercado. (Yesterday, I went to the market.) Specific Events: Example: La semana pasada, compré un coche. (Last week, I bought a car.) Actions that Happened at a Specific Moment: Example: A las tres, llegó María. (At three o'clock, María arrived.) Sequence of Events: Example: Me desperté, me vestí y salí de casa. (I woke up, got dressed, and left the house.) Imperfect Uses Habitual Actions: Example: Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los sábados. (When I was a child, I played soccer every Saturday.) Ongoing Actions in the Past: Example: Mientras ella leía, él escuchaba música. (While she was reading, he was listening to music.) Background Description: Example: Era un día soleado y hacía calor. (It was a sunny day, and it was hot.) Mental States and Emotions: Example: Estaba triste porque había perdido su libro. (She was sad because she had lost her book.) Key Words and Phrases Certain keywords can help indicate whether to use the preterite or imperfect: Preterite Keywords: ayer (yesterday) la semana pasada (last week) hace dos días (two days ago) en 2010 (in 2010) el otro día (the other day) Imperfect Keywords: siempre (always) a menudo (often) frecuentemente (frequently) mientras (while) cada día (every day) de niño/a (as a child)

The preterite tense describes completed actions in the past, answering "What happened?" The imperfect tense denotes ongoing or habitual actions, providing background information and answering "What was happening?" or "What used to happen?"

Simple. If the action in completely done use simple past: Viví en España desde 2010 hasta 2023. Compré un auto en mayo de 2024. If the action is not finish, but in progress or habitual action use imperfect. Cuando era niño corría todas las mañanas 20 minutos. Estaba lloviendo mientras caminábamos en el parque.

Hi Rachel: The past tense refers something that finished and the imperfect describes periods of time that maybe continues....

Hi Rachel, Preterite tense always has a word specifying "exactly" when you were performing or witnessing an action, while imperfect like the name implies is much broader, meaning they can be used to refer to a general action done in the past. An example of Preterite is "Yesterday I played video games" *Yesterday* being the word that defines the Preterite - "ayer jugué video jeugos". Adversely the Imperfect would be "Sometimes I watch Television" *Sometimes* being the word that defines the Imperfect - "A veces veo televisión"

Hola Rachel. Well, in Spanish, both pretérito simple and imperfecto are used to talk about the past, but they have different feeling. The main difference is that pretérito simple is for completed actions (e.x Ana cenó anoche... Lucas visitó Madrid el año pasado), and imperfecto is for ongoing or habitual stuff (Ana cenaba cuando llamó su mamá... Lucas visitaba Madrid todos los veranos. Cheers, Manuel

The preterito is also known as the simple past. It indicates an action that took place in the past and had a definite beginning and end. Eg. "El domingo pasado vimos una pelicula." It started, was done, and that was the end of it. The imperfecto indicates something which happened in the past but did not have a definitive ending. Eg. "Mi perro ladraba mucho por las noches." It started, but there is no definite ending. The dog might still be barking a lot in the night! Karen

They are two times from the past that are used for communicative purposes. "El preterito imperfecto" refers to courses of action or states that extend over time, and "El preterito indefinido" expresses specific actions that take place at a specific time. For Example: Imperfect: Hablaba (spoke) - Vivía (lived) Preterite: Hablé (I Spoke) - Viví (I lived)

Indicators: Preterite often uses specific time indicators like ayer (yesterday), el año pasado (last year), or una vez (once). Imperfect commonly uses words like siempre (always), a menudo (often), or mientras (while) to indicate ongoing actions or habits.