Preterite vs. Imperfect: Basics Pág. 181
Two Past Tenses Spanish has two past tenses Preterite Imperfect Each is used in specific circumstances. They mean slightly different things. If you use the wrong one, your sentence won’t make sense.
Preterite: Completed actions An action that happened only once or a specific number of times. Fui a la playa el sábado. – I went to the beach on Saturday. An event that happened at a specific time or for a specific length of time. Mi amigo me llamó a las 5:00. – My friend called me at 5:00. El partido duró tres horas. – The game lasted three hours. The beginning or end of an action. De repente empezó a llover. – Suddenly it started to rain.
Imperfect: Ongoing or Repeated An action that was in progress at a certain time. (Yo) estudiaba a las 8:00. – I was studying at 8:00. An event that occurred repeatedly (the exact number of times is not given or is not important). Visitábamos a nuestros abuelos en el verano. – We used to visit our grandparents in the summer. Background information (time, weather, age) Hacía muy buen tiempo el sábado. – The weather was nice on Saturday.
Translating the Past Tense The simple past tense is often translated into the preterite. Hablé con mis amigos ayer. – I talked to my friends yesterday. Comieron en el restaurante anoche – They ate in the restaurant last night. The imperfect is often translated as “used to do” something or “was doing” something. Hablaba con mis amigos a las 7:00. – I was talking to my friends at 7:00. Comían en el restaurante cada sábado. – They used to eat in the restaurant every Saturday.
Preterite Hint Words/Phrases Ayer: yesterday Anteayer: day before yesterday Anoche: last night El otro día: the other day En ese momento: at that moment Entonces: then De repente: suddenly Esta mañana: this morning Esta tarde: this afternoon La semana pasada: last week El mes pasado: last month El año pasado: last year Hace [dos días]: [two days] ago Ayer por la mañana: yesterday morning Ayer por la tarde: yesterday afternoon El lunes: on Monday
Imperfect Hint Words/Phrases A menudo: often A veces: sometimes Cada día/Todos los días: every day Cada semana: every week Cada año: every year Con frecuencia/ Frecuentemente: frequently De vez en cuando: from time to time Generalmente/Normalmente: usually Muchas veces: many times Mucho: a lot Siempre: always Nunca: never Todo el tiempo: all the time Tantas veces: so many times Varias veces: several times
Más práctica - story When my family was living (1) in California, we used to go (2) every summer to a national park that I liked (3) a lot. Last summer I returned (4) to California with a friend and we decided (5) to spend a weekend in the park. My friend wanted (6) to take nature photographs.
Más práctica - story When my family was living (1) in California, we used to go (2) every summer to a national park that I liked (3) a lot. Last summer I returned (4) to California with a friend and we decided (5) to spend a weekend in the park. My friend wanted (6) to take nature photographs. Imperfect - ongoing Imperfect - repeated Imperfect - ongoing Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – 1 time event Imperfect - ongoing
Más práctica - story On Saturday we left (7) camp very early. It was (8) 6:00 in the morning and it was (9) very cold. We were walking (10) along a path when suddenly we saw (11) a huge bear. It was eating (12) blackberries. Unfortunately it saw (13) us and began (14) to approach us.
Más práctica - story On Saturday we left (7) camp very early. It was (8) 6:00 in the morning and it was (9) very cold. We were walking (10) along a path when suddenly we saw (11) a huge bear. It was eating (12) blackberries. Unfortunately it saw (13) us and began (14) to approach us. Preterite – 1 time event Imperfect - background Imperfect - background Imperfect - ongoing Preterite – 1 time event Imperfect - ongoing Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – start of an action
Más práctica - story We threw down (15) our backpacks and ran (16) as fast as our legs could carry us. My buddy lost (17) his camera. After half an hour we stopped (18) to rest. We waited (19) for two hours and then we returned (20) to look for the camera and our packs. Fortunately, we found (21) everything.
Más práctica - story We threw down (15) our backpacks and ran (16) as fast as our legs could carry us. My buddy lost (17) his camera. After half an hour we stopped (18) to rest. We waited (19) for two hours and then we returned (20) to look for the camera and our packs. Fortunately, we found (21) everything. Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – completed Preterite – 1 time event Preterite – 1 time event
Más práctica ¿Cuándo (decidías / decidiste) ir al cine? Cuando éramos niños, (jugábamos / jugamos) al fútbol muy bien. Tu primo te (llamaba / llamó) esta mañana. Los muchachos (viajaban / viajaron) a las montañas cada invierno. Yo (comía / comí) una ensalada el lunes. Mi tía siempre (abría / abrió) las ventanas cada mañana. Esta mañana, Elena (bebía / bebió) un refresco.
Más práctica ¿Cuándo (decidías / decidiste) ir al cine? Cuando éramos niños, (jugábamos / jugamos) al fútbol muy bien. Tu primo te (llamaba / llamó) esta mañana. Los muchachos (viajaban / viajaron) a las montañas cada invierno. Yo (comía / comí) una ensalada el lunes. Mi tía siempre (abría / abrió) las ventanas cada mañana. Esta mañana, Elena (bebía / bebió) un refresco.
Más práctica Nosotros ______ (viajar) a Madrid el año pasado. Preterite Viajamos Imperfect Veía Escribió Jugaba Nosotros ______ (viajar) a Madrid el año pasado. Nunca ______ (ver) la televisión cuando yo era niño. Esta mañana, Francisco ______ (escribir) un ensayo. El niño siempre ______ (jugar) el fútbol todo el verano.