Basic Preterite vs. Imperfect Distinction

Spanish uses two different ways to talk about the past. The Preterite is your "action" tense. It tells us exactly what happened and when it ended. The Imperfect is your "description" tense. It tells us how things used to be or what was going on. Imagine you are telling a friend about a party. You use the Imperfect to say the music was loud. You use the Preterite to say the cake fell on the floor. One sets the stage, and the other moves the plot forward. It is all about the beginning and the end. If the action has a clear start and finish, use Preterite. If the action is a habit or a feeling, use Imperfect. It is like the difference between a dot and a line.

1. 1For the Preterite, -ar verbs change to -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.
2. 2For the Preterite, -er and -ir verbs change to -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
3. 3For the Imperfect, -ar verbs use -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
4. 4For the Imperfect, -er and -ir verbs use -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
5. 5The Imperfect only has three irregular verbs: ser, ir, and ver. This is a huge relief!
6. 6The Preterite has many irregulars, like tener becoming tuve. Practice these often.

Use the Preterite for specific actions that happened once. For example, Ayer compré un café (Yesterday I bought a coffee). Use it for a sequence of events in a story. Me levanté, me vestí y salí (I got up, got dressed, and left). It is perfect for things with a clear time limit. Use the Imperfect for habits you did many times. Yo jugaba al fútbol cada sábado (I used to play soccer every Saturday). Use it to describe people, places, or weather in the past. Hacía mucho calor (It was very hot). It is also the go-to tense for telling time or stating your age. Tenía diez años (I was ten years old). Think of the Imperfect as the "background music" of your life.

Do not use the Preterite for feelings that lasted a long time. Saying Estuve triste sounds like you were sad for exactly one second. Use Estaba triste instead to show a state of being. Do not use the Imperfect for sudden interruptions. If a cat jumps on your lap, that is a Preterite moment! El gato saltó. Do not use the Preterite for telling the time. Fue las dos is a classic mistake. Always use Eran las dos. Avoid using the Imperfect for a list of completed chores. If you finished your homework, the teacher wants to hear the Preterite. Using the wrong one can make you sound like a broken record or a robot.

Many people try to use the Preterite for everything because it feels shorter. This makes your stories sound like a boring grocery list. Another mistake is mixing them up when describing your childhood. If you say Yo fui bajo, it sounds like you were short for a brief moment. Use Yo era bajo because being short was a long-term state. Learners often forget the accents in the Preterite. Hablo means "I speak," but Habló means "He/She spoke." That little tilt on the letter changes the whole timeline! Also, watch out for trigger words. Ayer (yesterday) usually wants the Preterite. Siempre (always) usually wants the Imperfect. If you use Siempre with the Preterite, it sounds like a glitch in the Matrix.

In English, we have "used to" and "was doing." These are almost always the Imperfect in Spanish. I used to run becomes Yo corría. I was running also becomes Yo corría. This makes Spanish actually simpler in this case! The English simple past "I ran" can be either tense in Spanish. You have to look at the context. Did you run once to catch the bus? That is Corrí. Did you run every morning for a year? That is Corría. It is like choosing between a photo of a runner and a video of a marathon. English speakers often struggle because we use the same word for both. Just ask yourself: "Is this a habit or a one-time event?"