Preterito vs Imperfecto
No se pelean, se llevan bien They actually complement each other; they work together to create a well rounded account of the past. The preterit moves the story along (the events). The imperfect is for details (weather, time, descriptions).
Caperucita roja (“Little Red Riding Hood”) “hacía fresco” (“it was cool”) “Cantaban los pájaros.” (the birds were singing) “Las nubes eran blancas y bellas.” (the clouds were white and beautiful) “Caperucita roja andaba por el bosque.” (riding hood was walking though the forest) Imperfect is used for background and details.
Siguiendo… “Caperucita!, gritó el lobo.”(“Red Riding hood”, yelled the wolf.) “¡El lobo!,” gritó. (“Wolf!” she cried!). Preterit is used for the actions that move the story along.
Note worthy… Your textbook likes to use both preterit and imperfect in the same sentence like this: Mientras yo estudiaba, mi amigo me habló y mi madre llegó. The imperfect is an action “already in progress” and the preterit is an “interupting action.” estudiaba habló llegó
ejemplos El año pasado yo _________ (cantar) Mientras yo ________ el corría. (cantar) El _________ en el parque con sus amigos ayer. (correr) De niño, el _________ en el parque con sus amigos. (correr)
. The end…..