Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
Spanish: AQA A Level, topic 16.7.3
Uses of the Preterite Tense
A finished one-time action
- Fernando compró un nuevo coche.
- Fernando bought a new car.
- Nací en Inglaterra.
- I was born in England.
‘Ayer, la semana pasada, hace un año’
- España ganó la Copa del Mundo en 2010.
- Spain won the world cup in 2010.
- Henry nació el cinco de julio.
- Henry was born on the 5th of July.
A finished period of time
- Vivieron en Australia por seis meses.
- They lived in Australia for six months.
- Leí este libro el año pasado.
- I read this book last year.
Events in order, a sequence of actions
- Me vestí y salí a dar una vuelta.
- I got dressed and went for a walk.
- Entró, bebió una cerveza y comió un pedazo de pan.
- He came in, drank a beer and ate a piece of bread.
Past events in a story
- Llegó a la playa y puso su toalla en la arena.
- She arrived at the beach and put her towel on the sand.
Start and end of events
- Empezó a llover.
- It began to rain.
- El libro terminó con un final cómico.
- The book ended with a comic end.
Uses of the Imperfect Tense
Non-specific time
- When the time period is not clear, and the action isn't finished you need to use the imperfect.
- En esos años Theo vivía en un pequeño apartamento.
- In those days Theo was living in a small apartment.
Repetitive actions in the past
- Todos los días comía una naranja.
- Every day I ate an orange.
- Almorzábamos todos los sábados.
- We used to eat lunch every Saturday.
Description
- When describing people, objects and events in the past, you must use the imperfect.
- La casa era grande.
- The house was big.
- Mi amiga era alta.
- My friend was tall.
- Aquel día hacía frío.
- It was cold that day.
Continuous actions that were going on when something else happened
- Comían cuando llegó su abuelo.
- They were eating when their grandad arrived.
- Mi madre cocinaba cuando salí de la casa.
- My mum was cooking when I left the house.
Age, Time
- Mi hermana tenía veintiún años.
- My sister was 21 years old.
- Eran las cinco de la tarde.
- It was five in the afternoon.
- Era el 12 de enero.
- It was the 12th of January.
Choosing Between the Preterite and the Imperfect
The following rules will help you when trying to decide between using the preterite or the imperfect.
Single actions vs repeated actions
- The preterite is used to express single actions in the past.
- Ayer, llegué tarde al trabajo.
- Yesterday, I was late for work.
- The imperfect is used to show repeated actions.
- Llegaba tarde al trabajo a menudo.
- I was often late for work.
Completed actions vs in progress
- We use the preterite when we refer to the action as a completed event even if it was a continuous or repetitive action:
- Aquella profesora solo enseñó biología el año pasado, pero nunca más.
- That teacher only taught biology last year, but not anymore.
- When we refer to the action when it was in progress, and not as a finished completed event, we use the imperfect:
- Aquella profesora enseñaba biología cuando yo aprobé el test.
- That teacher was teaching biology when I passed the test.
Exception vs normality
- The preterite is used to express that an action is unique or an exception.
- The imperfect is used to express that an action is normal.
- Ella amaba jugar al fútbol pero aquel día odió el fútbol.
- She loved to play football but that day she hated it.
Actions happening at the same time
- When two actions are taking place simultaneously, the imperfect is used for both ongoing actions.
- Mi madre cocinaba cuando yo estudiaba.
- My mum was cooking when I was studying.
Test yourself on Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses
Which of the following sentences is correct?
How do you say 'there was a lot of wind that day' in Spanish?
How do you say 'they were eating' in Spanish?
How do you say 'when he was ten years old, he was very big' in Spanish?