Spanish Grammar
Pronunciation & Accents
Gender & Def./Indef. Articles Subject Pronouns
The Verb Ser
Plural Nouns & Adjectives
The Calendar
Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers
Telling Time
Hay
Verbs - The Present Tense
The Verb Ir
The Verb Tener
The Verb Estar
Ser vs. Estar
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive Pronouns
Stem-Changing Verbs
Object Pronouns
The Verb Gustar
The Weather
Reflexive Verbs
Por vs. Para
Demonstratives
The Verb Acabar de
The Verb Volver a
The Past Tense - Pretérito Prepositions
Informal Commands
The Past Tense - Imperfecto
Preterit vs. Imperfect
Past Participles
Present Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Tense
The Subjunctive
Formal Commands
The Future Tense
The Conditional Tense
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Preterit vs. Imperfect
Learn Spanish: Conjugating Spanish Past Tense - Imperfect (Imperfecto)
This learn Spanish grammar lesson reviews the two Spanish forms for expressing the past tense - the preterit and the imperfect tenses - and using both in Spanish past tenses in the same sentence. Even though the preterit and the imperfect are both past tenses, they express different meanings. The choice between the two tenses depends on what type of events and actions are being described.
The Spanish Preterit
In general, the preterit in Spanish is used to describe specific actions that occurred at a point in time or during a certain period and that were completed. It describes what happened, what occurred.
TheSpanish Imperfect
In general, the imperfect in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. It describes what was happening, what was going on at a certain time, or what used to be.
| Use the preterit to describe: |
Use the imperfect to describe: |
Isolated actions or repeated actions a specific number of times |
Habitual actions and actions repeated an undetermined number of times |
Compré una casa este año.
(I bought a house this year.)
Jugué tenis por dos años.
(I played tennis for two years.)
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De niña, no vivía en una casa.
(As a child, I did not have a house.)
Cada verano, jugabamos tenis.
(Each summer, we used to play tennis.)
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Actions that occurred during or at a specific time |
Actions in progress for an indefinite period of time |
Jugué al tenis de las 3 hasta las 5.
(I played tennis from 3 to 5.)
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A las 3, jugaba al tenis con Juan.
(At 3 o' clock, I was playing tennis with Juan.)
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Main actions and events
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Background description such as time, weather, age and physical characteristics, emotional states and other setting elements of the main action. |
Tomé un taxi y fui a la oficina.
(I took a taxi and went to the office.)
El auto chocó y yo llamé la policia.
(The car crashed and I called the police.)
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Eran las 2, hacía sol y un perro dormía.
(It was two, it was sunny and a dog was sleeping.)
El hombre era joven, tenía 40 años, llevaba gafas y estaba triste.
(There was a young man, he was 40 years old, he was wearing glasses and was sad.)
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The Preterit and the Imperfect used in one sentence
Both the preterit and the imperfect are often found in the same sentence.
One action interrupts the other that was in process. The ongoing action is expressed with the imperfect, while the one that interrupts is expressed with the preterit.
| Escuché un ruido mientras leía un libro. |
I heard a noise while I was reading a book. |
| Cuando llegué, tú hablabas por teléfono. |
When I arrived, you were talking on the phone. |
A sentence may also contains two specific actions or two ongoing actions.
| Salimos cuando tú llegaste. |
We left when you arrived. |
| Cenabamos mientras ustedes caminaban por la ciudad. |
We were dinning while you were walking through the city. |
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