Preterite vs Imperfect in Spanish

Subjects | Spanish Notes | Spanish Verbs & Tenses

Introduction

⇒ Many people have trouble knowing when to use the preterite tense or the imperfect tense, as they both refer to actions in the past.

⇒ There are several general rules you can follow to know when to use one tense or another.

⇒ Additionally, many Spanish phrases tend to be used only with the preterite or only with the imperfect, so memorizing them is very helpful!

⇒ In these notes, we’ll take a look at the general uses of both tenses, as well as helpful “trigger” phrases.

Pair Work

⇒ One way this pair of tenses is often used is to talk about an ongoing action or event that was interrupted in the past.

⇒ In such case, the interrupted action is given in the imperfect tense, while the interrupting action is given in the preterite.

⇒ For example:

Caminaba por el centro cuando me encontré con el hermano de mi mejor amiga.
I was walking downtown when I ran into my best friend's brother.
Lourdes y Marco hablaban del examen cuando llegué a clase.
Lourdes and Marco were talking about the test when I got to class.

The Preterite

Overview

⇒ Generally, the preterite is used for completed actions (actions that have definite beginning and end points.)

⇒ These can be actions that can be viewed as single events, actions that were part of a chain of events, actions that were repeated a very specific number of times, or actions that specifically state the beginning and end of an action.

⇒ Check out these examples:

Fui al baile anoche.
I went to the dance last night.
Caminé al mercado, compré unos plátanos, y regresé a casa.
I walked to the market, bought some bananas, and returned home.
Te llamó tres veces.
He called you three times.
Hablé con mi madre de las dos hasta las tres.
I spoke with my mother from two o’clock until three o’clock.

Useful Phrases that Trigger the Preterite

⇒ There are many helpful words and phrases that indicate specific time frames, therefore signaling that the preterite should be used. Here are a few:

Spanish English Spanish English
una vez one time el otro día the other day
ayer yesterday entonces then
anteayer the day before yesterday anteanoche the night before last
ayer por la mañana yesterday morning ayer al mediodía yesterday at noon
anoche last night ayer por la noche last night
esta mañana this morning esta tarde this afternoon
la semana pasada last week el mes pasado last month
el año pasado last year en ese momento at that moment
ayer por la tarde yesterday afternoon hoy por la mañana this morning
hace (dos) años (two) years ago hace (dos) días (two) days ago
el (lunes) pasado last (Monday) la semana pasada last week
durante (tres) siglos for (three) centuries desde el primer momento from the first moment

Verbs that are Preterite by Nature

⇒ Some verbs used to talk about events with a very definite beginning and end are almost always used in the preterite. Here are a few examples.

Spanish English Spanish English
casarse to get married graduarse to graduate
cumplir años to turn a certain age llegar to arrive
darse cuenta de to realise morir to die
decidir to decide nacer to be born
descubrir to discover salir to leave

The Imperfect

Overview

⇒ The imperfect tense is generally used for actions in the past that do not have a definite end.

⇒ These can be actions that are not yet completed or refer to a time in general in the past. It can also be used to talk about:

  • actions that were repeated habitually
  • actions that set the stage for another past tense event
  • time and dates
  • a person’s age in the past
  • characteristics
  • mental or physical states

⇒ Check out these examples:

Cuando era niña, jugaba con muñecas.
When I was a child, I used to play with dolls.
Los chicos hablaban en español.
The boys were speaking in Spanish.
Estaba durmiendo cuando el teléfono sonó.
I was sleeping when the telephone rang.
Cuando tenía tres años, era muy pequeño.
When he was three years old, he was very small.

Useful Phrases that Trigger the Imperfect

⇒ Here are some helpful words and phrases that often signal that a verb should be used in the imperfect.

Spanish English Spanish English
a menudo often frecuentemente frequently
rara vez rarely a veces sometimes
generalmente usually siempre always
algunas veces at times mientras while
tantas veces so many times todos los años every year
cada día every day muchas veces many times
todas las semanas every week todo el tiempo all the time
con frecuencia frequently casi nunca almost never
mucho a lot nunca never
por lo general generally todos los días every day
de vez en cuando once in a while por un rato for a while
en aquella época at that time varias veces several times