Herramientas de la lengua
Verbos: Pretérito vs Imperfecto
Why do you want to know this?
The preterite and imperfect express the past in different ways, adding a lot of nuance to what we really mean to say. Using the preterite and imperfect correctly allows us to be more precise when we tell stories about the past. Those who have learned Spanish at home have less trouble with the preterite and the imperfect than those who have learned Spanish in a classroom, but those who learned it in a classroom can usually explain why you use one or the other, whereas those who learned Spanish at home just use them because “they sound good.” Knowing the rules and practicing can help us when we have doubts on which to use.
1. ¿Cuándo uso cada cual?
When do we use the preterite?
Single, completed actions that took place at specific points in time
Ayer jugué con mi vecino
Juan llegó temprano (I would know when based on context)
Mi madre me preparó el desayuno (I would know when based on context)
When do we use the imperfect?
Repeated, Usual, Habitual Actions
Los sábados yo jugaba con mi vecino
Usualmente Juan llegaba temprano
Background Information
La ciudad era vieja y sucia.
La sirenita se llamaba Ariel y tenía seis hermanas.
Times and Ages
Isabel tenía ocho años.
Era la una de la mañana.
Ongoing Actions
Rosa hacía su tarea a las 9:00.
Yo dibujaba el lunes por la mañana.
*Words such as “siempre,” “frecuentemente,” “generalmente,” “nunca” “siempre,” usualmente,” etc, can clue us into the fact that we should use the imperfect.
Translating the Imperfect
Because in English we only have one past tense conjugation, we often have to resort to adding words to get our exact meaning across. In Spanish we would know based on context.
Yo caminaba los domingos =
- I walked on Sundays.
- I would walk on Sundays.
- I used to walk on Sundays.
2. How do we conjugate the preterite?
Some things to remember:
Use the accent mark for “yo” and “él/ella/ud.” every time!
There are verbs that change their root or spelling in the preterite. You can always consult a dictionary or this verb conjugator to find answers.
3. How do we conjugate the imperfect?
Some things to remember:
Use the accent mark every time with ER and IR verbs!
There are verbs that change their root or spelling in the imperfect. You can always consult a dictionary or this verb conjugator to find answers.
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4. Differences in meaning
In many instances when talking about the past we can use the preterite or the imperfect but it will change the meaning.
I can say “Juan llegaba temprano” or “Juan llegó temprano,” they just mean different things. The first one means he used to arrive early, the second one means he arrived early.
While in the case above “llegar” means to arrive in both tenses, there are other verbs that change meaning! For example:
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5. Both together
It’s not at all uncommon to have both preterite and imperfect conjugations in the same sentence. In fact, it happens a lot. The imperfect is used to explain what was happening when a preterite action occurred:
- Los perros dormían cuando Carlos entró.
- The dogs were sleeping when Carlos entered.
- Cuando llegaron al restaurante hacía calor.
- When they got to the restaurant the weather was hot.
- Yo me caí mientras corríamos
- I fell while we were running.
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This unit “Pretérito vs. Imperfecto” was created by Alegría Ribadeneira by combining original material and sections about verbs from Spanish411.net, licensed CC BY-NC-SA and Spanish Grammar Manual by Enrique Yépez licensed CC BY-NC-SA.
