El pretérito y el imperfecto juntos
El pretérito The preterit communicates actions or events that the speaker views as completed: Ayer fui a la tienda para comprar leche. Anoche los niños se acostaron a las nueve. The preterit also sums up a condition or state viewed as a whole, and no longer in effect Clara se sintió enferma todo el día ayer, (pero hoy se siente mejor). “Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise” (I no longer love her, it’s certain, but how I loved her!)
El imperfecto Describes actions or events in the process of happening, with no reference to beginning or end. Caminaba para la casa cuando vi a Matt Damon. Describes physical or mental states in the past (with no reference to any change). No fui a la fiesta porque estaba enferma. Describes past habitual actions. Cuando éramos niños jugábamos mucho.
Imperfecto cont. Sets the stage in a story about the past, is often used in descriptions of persons, places, scenarios and weather. Era una noche oscura y tormentosa. Llovía mucho. La mujer tenía ojos verdes y una cara hermosa. Expresses time and age in the past. Eran las siete de la noche. Yo tenía diecisiete años cuando vine a Vancouver. Is used in indirectly quoted speech. Ella dijo que no sabía nadar. Dijeron que venían a las ocho
En breve When telling a story or anecdote in the past, the preterit advances the story by telling of the key events. (He said, he went, he saw etc...) The imperfect adds information about what was happening at the moment of these events. Think of it as a scene from a movie, with the preterit referring to what the actors are doing and saying, and the imperfect as the scene itself, including time of day, weather, and background activity. Sometimes it is a question of perception or emphasis. If someone wants to emphasize that a feeling or situation has changed or that a person is dead, they use the preterit. If they want to leave that open, they use the imperfect. (i.e. “Yo la quise y a veces ella también me quiso” in Neruda’s poema XX vs “Yo era el que te amaba más” in Cardenal’s Epigram 5.)