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Spanish 2 Unit 5: Preterite vs. Imperfect

This unit teaches you when to choose the preterite and when to choose the imperfect, the central skill for telling stories in the past.

Covers: Completed events vs. background description, Interrupted actions, Sequences of events vs. simultaneous actions, Signal words for each tense, Bounded durations and counted repetitions, Verbs that change meaning (saber, conocer, poder, querer), Narrating a story in the past

Study guide

Spanish has two simple past tenses, and choosing between them depends on how you view the action, not just when it happened. The preterite presents an action as complete, with a clear beginning or end: ayer comí con mi abuela. The imperfect presents an action as ongoing, habitual or as background, with no focus on its end: cuando era niño, comía con mi abuela los domingos. A useful image is a stage play. The imperfect describes the stage and what was already going on (time, weather, setting, feelings, habits), and the preterite describes the actions that move the plot forward. Most past paragraphs mix both tenses.

The most common test pattern is the interrupted action. One action was in progress (imperfect) when another event happened (preterite): yo dormía cuando sonó el teléfono. Look for cuando followed by a single event. If two actions were going on at the same time, both use the imperfect, often linked with mientras: mientras yo estudiaba, mi hermana veía la tele. If several actions happened one after another, all of them use the preterite: me levanté, me duché y salí. Sequence words such as primero, luego, después and finalmente usually signal the preterite.

Signal words help but are not absolute rules. Expressions such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado, una vez, de repente and specific dates point toward the preterite. Expressions such as siempre, a menudo, todos los días, de niño, mientras and generalmente point toward the imperfect. Two special cases surprise many students. A counted number of repetitions takes the preterite (fui al museo tres veces), and so does an action with a stated duration that ended (viví en Lima dos años), because both are viewed as completed wholes. Describing time, age and weather as background, however, always uses the imperfect: eran las tres, tenía diez años, hacía frío.

Several verbs change meaning depending on the tense, and these are tested often. Saber: sabía (knew) versus supe (found out). Conocer: conocía (knew, was acquainted with) versus conocí (met for the first time). Poder: podía (was able, in general) versus pude (managed to) and no pude (failed to). Querer: quería (wanted) versus quise (tried) and no quise (refused). Even states like tener miedo change: tenía miedo means I was afraid, while tuve miedo means I got scared at a moment. When you write a narrative, start with the imperfect to set the scene, then switch to the preterite when something happens.

Key ideas

• The preterite views an action as complete; the imperfect views it as ongoing or habitual.
• Background description (time, weather, age, feelings) uses the imperfect.
• An action in progress is imperfect; the event that interrupts it is preterite.
• A sequence of completed events uses the preterite.
• Counted repetitions and ended durations take the preterite.
• Saber, conocer, poder and querer change meaning between the two tenses.
• Signal words are clues, but the speaker's view of the action decides.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Using the preterite for background time or age, as in fueron las tres or tuve diez años.
• Putting both actions of an interruption in the same tense.
• Using the imperfect for a counted number of times, as in iba tres veces.
• Translating conocí as I knew instead of I met.
• Relying only on English: was + -ing is usually imperfect, but simple past can be either tense.

Before the test, make sure you can

• Explain the difference between completed and ongoing past actions.
• Choose the correct tenses for an interrupted action.
• Use the preterite for sequences and the imperfect for simultaneous actions.
• Identify signal words for each tense and recognize exceptions.
• Use the preterite for counted repetitions and ended durations.
• Translate saber, conocer, poder and querer correctly in each tense.
• Write a short narrative that sets a scene and then reports events.

Words to know

de repente

suddenly

una vez

once

anteayer

the day before yesterday

el lunes pasado

last Monday

finalmente

finally

mientras

while

generalmente

generally

normalmente

usually

de joven

as a young person

cada día

every day

el cuento

story

el ruido

noise

sonar

to ring

asustarse

to get scared

suceder

to happen

el accidente

accident

darse cuenta de

to realize

Sample practice questions

30 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.