SPANISH STUDY GUIDE

Preterite vs. Imperfect

El pretérito e imperfecto · talking about the past

Both tenses live in the past. The difference is how you're looking at the action. Did it happen and finish? That's the preterite. Was it ongoing, repeated, or setting the scene? That's the imperfect. Once that clicks, the rest falls into place.

The big picture When to use each Trigger words Together in sentences Quick conjugation Study materials

The big picture

Think of the imperfect as a movie playing in the background and the preterite as a specific event that happened during that movie.

PRETERITE · EL PRETÉRITO

Completed actions

Something happened, finished, and you're viewing it as done. A specific moment. A specific number of times. A clear beginning or end.

Fui al supermercado ayer.

I went to the supermarket yesterday.

El camarero trajo la cuenta.

The waiter brought the check.

Comé el sándwich rápidamente.

I ate the sandwich quickly.

IMPERFECT · EL IMPERFECTO

Ongoing, habitual, descriptive

Something was happening, used to happen, or describes what things were like. No clear beginning or end in sight.

Iba al supermercado cada semana.

I used to go to the supermarket every week.

El restaurante era pequeño y acogedor.

The restaurant was small and cozy.

Siempre pedía el filete de pescado.

I always ordered the fish fillet.

When to use each one

Four uses for each tense. These cover the situations you'll run into most.

PRETERITE USES

Completed action

Something happened and it's done. You're looking at it as a finished event.

Humberto terminó el proyecto.

Humberto finished the project.

Specific time or number of times

It happened at a particular moment, on a specific day, or a set number of times.

Fui a la joyерía dos veces.

I went to the jewelry store twice.

Beginning or end of a past action

Something started or stopped. The moment of change is what you're pointing at.

Empezó a llover cuando salí del restaurante.

It started raining when I left the restaurant.

Series of completed events

One thing happened, then another, then another. A sequence with a clear order.

Entré, pedí el menú y me senté.

I walked in, asked for the menu, and sat down.

IMPERFECT USES

Habitual past actions

"Used to" or "would" do something. A routine, not a specific event.

Siempre pedía el filete cuando iba allí.

I always used to order the fillet when I went there.

Telling time and setting the scene

Giving the time, the weather, the location, or describing what things looked like.

Era tarde y el restaurante estaba lleno.

It was late and the restaurant was packed.

Ongoing action in the background

Something was already in progress when something else happened.

Cocinaba cuando sonó el teléfono.

I was cooking when the phone rang.

Past intentions or emotions

What someone was going to do, wanted to do, or how they felt.

Quería pedir el pulpo pero no tenía suficiente dinero.

I wanted to order the octopus but didn't have enough money.

Trigger words

These words are strong hints. They don't guarantee the tense, but they point you in the right direction most of the time.

PRETERITE TRIGGERS

Usually signals a completed action

ayer anoche una vez dos veces de repente el lunes ese día un día primero después luego entonces por fin el verano pasado

IMPERFECT TRIGGERS

Usually signals habit or description

siempre nunca a veces frecuentemente todos los días cada semana los lunes mientras de niño/a cuando era joven en esos días muchas veces

When they appear together

The real challenge is when both tenses show up in the same sentence. Three patterns cover almost every case.

Sequence of events

One thing happened, then another. All preterite.

Entré al supermercado, recogí una bolsa y busqué las frutas.

I entered the supermarket, grabbed a bag, and looked for the fruit.

entrérecogíbusqué

El camarero trajo la cuenta, yo pagué y salimos.

The waiter brought the check, I paid, and we left.

trajopaguésalimos

Simultaneous actions with mientras

Two things happening at the same time. Both imperfect.

Paulina lavaba las frutas mientras Pablo ponía la mesa.

Paulina was washing the fruit while Pablo was setting the table.

lavabaponía

Humberto leía el menú mientras nosotros hablábamos.

Humberto was reading the menu while we were talking.

leíahablábamos

Background + interrupting action with cuando

Something was ongoing (imperfect) when something else happened and interrupted it (preterite).

Estábamos en el supermercado cuando de repente me caí.

We were in the supermarket when all of the sudden I fell.

estábamosme caí

El cocinero freía el filete cuando se apagó la luz.

The cook was frying the fillet when the light went out.

freíase apagó

QUICK REFERENCE

Conjugation at a glance

Regular endings only. Keep irregular verbs (ir, ser, tener, estar, hacer...) on a separate list and memorize them separately.

PRETERITE · -AR VERBS (hablar)

yo	hablé
tú	hablaste
él/ella	habló
nosotros	hablamos
ellos/Uds.	hablaron

-ER/-IR: comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comieron

IMPERFECT · -AR VERBS (hablar)

yo	hablaba
tú	hablabas
él/ella	hablaba
nosotros	hablábamos
ellos/Uds.	hablaban

-ER/-IR: comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comían

COMMON IRREGULARS TO MEMORIZE

ir / ser
fui, fuiste, fue,
fuimos, fueron

tener
tuve, tuviste, tuvo,
tuvimos, tuvieron

estar
estuve, estuviste, estuvo,
estuvimos, estuvieron

hacer
hice, hiciste, hizo,
hicimos, hicieron

Imperfect only has 3 irregular verbs: ir (iba), ser (era), ver (veía).

Vocabulary from this lesson

Key words from the supermarket, restaurant, and shopping vocab that appear in the practice below.

PRACTICE ZONE

Study materials

Tap any card to check your answer.

1 · Preterite or imperfect?

Read each sentence and decide which tense the verb is in and why. Tap to check.

2 · Which scenario is it?

Read each sentence and identify the pattern: sequence, simultaneous, or background + interruption. Tap to check.

3 · Translate into Spanish

Say the sentence in Spanish first, then tap to check.

4 · Fill in the correct form

Conjugate the verb in parentheses in either the preterite or imperfect, then check your answers.