Preterite vs. Imperfect

Preterite vs. Imperfect Spanish has two past tenses: preterite and imperfect. They refer to past actions, but are used in different situations/differently. The preterite = Completed action Ex: I bought a shirt yesterday. The imperfect = Ongoing / repeated action/ a description in the past/ usually has no reference to beginning or end/ used to (would do) Ex: I used to ride my bike every day.

SPICY (Preterit) S=specific, sudden occurrence, completed actions in the past (–ed endings -what happened/occurred) P=past actions that were part of a series of distinct instances, or actions that repeated a series of times. (not to be confused with habitual) Ex: Me levanté , me bañé, y comí el desayuno. I=interrupting actions of an ongoing action in the imperfect. Hacía mi tarea cuando llamó mi mamá C=completed actions that occurred during a specific period of time, and to state the beginning or end of an action. La fiesta empezó en la tarde. Y="yesterday” (anoche y ayer)

Preterit KEY WORDS ayer (yesterday) anoche (last night) These words usually refer to actions that are completed: KEY WORDS ayer (yesterday) anoche (last night) el año/mes pasado (last year/ last month) la semana pasada (Last week)

Conjugation forms for the preterit To conjugate verbs in the preterit, simply drop the (-ar,-er, or -ir) ending and add one of the following (this doesn’t include the irregular verbs): -AR -ER/-IR é aste ó amos aron í iste ió imos ieron

Ejemplos hablar comer vivir hablé comí viví hablaste comiste viviste hablamos comimos vivimos hablasteis comisteis vivisteis hablaron comieron vivieron

U-TOADSTEW (imperfect) U= Used to/ habitual Yo iba al cine todos los viernes Yo trabajaba en Target cuando era joven. T=thoughts or feelings (attitudes, and beliefs) O=ongoing/circumstance/ action in the past with no reference to its beginning or end. (was/were + -ing) form of verb. Caminaba por el parque en la tarde… A=age Tenía 20 años D=descriptions of people, places, situations, and the physical state of an object. La puerta estaba abierta. S= setting or scene description (background information, such as the time, the weather, and the location) T=time/date Eran las tres de la tarde. E= emotion/ mental/ state of mind Estaba enojado. W=weather Hacía mucho frío.

The imperfect These words refer to actions that were repeated or habitual in the past: KEY WORDS Siempre (always) todos los días (every day) cada semana/mes/año/verano (every week/month/year/summer) los sábados (on Saturdays) a menudo (often) muchas veces (many times) generalmente (generally) Mientras (meanhwhile/while)

Conjugation Forms for The imperfect To conjugate verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the (-ar, -er, or -ir) ending and add the following: -AR -ER /-IR ía ías Íamos ían aba abas aba ábamos aban

Some verbs change meaning in the imperfect and preterite: (completed action) Imperfect (description, scene) Conocer to have met someone to have known someone Saber to have found out something to have known something Querer tried wanted No Querer refused didn't want Poder managed to (succeeded) was able to (capable of) No Poder Tener failed to Had (possession) wasn't able to (not capable) Had (with a result)

The Differences Preterite (completed action) Imperfect (description, scene) Quise hacerlo pero no pude. (SOMETHING STOPPED THE ACTION) Quería ir a la playa cada fin de semana. Y por no trabajar los fines de semana, podía ir frecuentemente. I tried to do it but I failed (to do it) I wanted to go to the beach every weekend. And because I didn't work weekends, I was able to go frequently. La conocí el año pasado. Nos conocíamos por tres meses antes de casarnos. I met her last year. We knew each other for three months before marrying.

Verbs that change meaning In the imperfect In the preterit 1. Saber 2. Conocer 3. Poder 4. Querer 5. Tener Knew (had knowledge for some time) 2. Was acquainted with (over time) 3. Was capable of / result to follow 4. Wanted/ Had the intention to 5. Had (possession) 1. Found out at a specific point 2. Met for the first time 3. Managed to / succeeded/ result 4. Tried / in negative=refused 5. Had (with a result)