Preterito vs. imperfecto Both past tenses
PRETERITO single event Visité Barcelona el sábado I visited Barcelona on Saturday. Fui a España el año pasado I went to Spain last year.
One or more events or actions that began and ended in the past Fui a España - I went to Spain. Visité unos museos - I visited some museums.
An event that occurred, interrupting another action...cuando me dijeron la verdad... when they told me the truth....cuando mi hija nació when my daughter was born. Tenía miedo cuando vi el perro I was scared when I saw the dog.
imperfecto A habitual or repeated action Iba a España cada año I went (used to go) to Spain every year. Visitaba mucho la Sagrada Familia I often visited la Sagrada Familia.
An ongoing action with no specified completion Iba a España - I was going to Spain. Visitaba unos museos - I was visiting museums.
Description/background information; set the scene of how things were or what was happening when there was an interruption Vivía en Costa Rica cuando... I was living in Costa Rica when... Estaba en mi cama cuando... I was in bed when
General description of physical or mental states of being Tenía miedo de perros I was afraid of dogs.
Expression of the time of day or age in the past Eran las cinco de la mañana It was five a.m. Era sus cumpleaños; tenía doce años It was his birthday; he was twelve.
A Practicar 1. I ran last weekend. 2. She ran everyday. 3. They had a dog when they were little. 4. We were eating a sandwich when we saw Mr. Ross. Corrí el fin de semana pasado. Ella Corría todos los días. Tenían un perro cuando eran niños. Estabamos comiendo un sandwich cuando vimos a Sr. Ross.