The last two sections gave you a number of pointers about when to use the imperfect vs. the preterite when describing what things and people are like, how they feel, etc. Sometimes, however, either tense would be grammatically correct. Which you choose will depend on the context of the sentence and the meaning you want to convey.
Let's look at a few sentences where you could use either preterite or imperfect to see how using one or the other changes the meaning.
Fue un día perfecto. - It was a perfect day.
Era un día perfecto. - It was a perfect day.
Here, you would use the preterite if the day is over, and you are giving a summary assessment of how the day was. You would use the imperfect if this is the start of a description of the day or if it provides some background for what happened that day. Since there is no difference in the way these two sentences are translated into English, you need to look at the context of the sentence in order to decide whether the preterite or the imperfect would be most appropriate in Spanish.
Ana estuvo enferma. - Anna was sick (for a certain amount of time and is now better.)
Ana estaba enferma. - Anna was sick (but you're not sure when or for how long).
Here again, the sentences in English are just the same, so you would need to decide between the preterite and the imperfect based on context. If a particular time frame was mentioned or suggested, you would use the preterite. For example, maybe a friend just asked where Anna was yesterday. If you wanted to indicate that she was sick during the particular period of time mentioned (yesterday), you would use the preterite. However, if you were simply describing how Anna's health had been lately, without reference to any particular time frame, you would use the imperfect.
As you saw in the previous examples, the verbs ser and estar (both meaning 'to be') are frequently used in descriptions. But many other verbs can also be used to describe things and people. Another commonly used verb is haber (the infinitive of hay - 'there is, there are'). Just as there is only one form in the present tense, hay, for both singular and plural, there is only one form in the imperfect (había - 'there was, there were') and in the preterite (hubo - 'there was, there were').
Había mucha gente en la fiesta. - There were a lot of people at the party.
Hubo un accidente. - There was an accident.
Haber is often used in the imperfect to set the scene, describing who or what was present. When haber is used in the preterite, it is often referring to an event that took place. In the first example, the people at the party were simply present, so the imperfect is most appropriate. The preterite is used in the second sentence because the accident was something that occurred.
Since there is often no difference in the way preterite and imperfect verbs are translated into English, remember to look at the context of the Spanish sentence when deciding which to use. If you are giving background information or describing something without any reference to a particular time frame, use the imperfect. If the description is summing up an experience, describing something within a given time frame or indicating that an event occurred, chances are you should be using the preterite.
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FAQs
Description vs.
As you know, the preterite is frequently (although not always) used to talk about actions and events in the past. In contrast, the imperfect is most often used for descriptions also in the past tense, known in Spanish as pretérito imperfecto.
How do you teach preterite vs imperfect in Spanish? ›
The rule of thumb for determining which tense to use is that the preterite talks about what you did, and the imperfect talks about what you were doing or what you used to do. Notice how the meaning changes for these verbs in the preterite vs the imperfect. Conocí al presidente de la organización.
How do you know if a sentence is preterite or imperfect in Spanish? ›
The imperfect refers to an action or state that was ongoing, repeated or in progress at a specific moment in the past. The preterite expresses one-off actions and sequential events in the past.
Is De repente imperfect or preterite? ›
Use the imperfect when you see expressions that indicate repetition like siempre, todos los días, cada __, or muchas veces. Use the preterit when there is a limited timeframe or an indication of completion as indicated by anoche, el verano pasado, de repente, or por tres semanas.
Do you use preterite or imperfect when talking about childhood? ›
It depends on what you are describing. If talking about an activity which you undertook regularly and for an unspecified amount of time, you would use the imperfect tense.
Which verb tense is used to describe what someone was doing? ›
To contrast with the verb tenses we have learned thus far, the present tense expresses what you do or are doing, the preterite expresses what you did, and the imperfect expresses what you were doing or used to do.
How to use preterite and imperfect in the same sentence in Spanish? ›
When the verb following mientras is in the imperfect and the other verb is in the preterite, the action of the verb in the preterite interrupts the ongoing action of the verb in the imperfect. Samuel llamó mientras tú estudiabas. Samuel called while you were studying. Mientras tú estudiabas, Samuel llamó.
Why is preterite vs imperfect so hard? ›
Many learners find the preterite tense a bit more difficult than the past imperfect, usually because of the irregular verbs. But once you memorize the endings and practice, they become more and more natural.
How do you remember preterite and imperfect endings? ›
Both the ER and IR endings are ía, ías, ía, íamos, and ían. And lastly, the main thing to remember is that the preterite is used to describe more exact moments in the past and the imperfect describes something that was continuous for a longer period of time.
How do you know if a sentence is preterite? ›
Words or phrases that indicate something happened once or at a specific point in the past suggest you will probably need to use the preterite. Words or phrases that indicate something was in the process of happening or that it happened repeatedly in the past suggest you will need to use the imperfect.
The preterite is a "perfect" tense because it reports events viewed as completed within a finite time frame (a change, a definite beginning or end at a specific point). An "imperfect" tense conveys duration, progression, incompleteness (a state, something experienced for some time):
What is the difference between the imperfect and the preterite question? ›
We use both Preterite and Imperfect to talk about the past, but in different ways. The Preterite is the tense for main actions. It answers the question: “What happened?”. The Imperfect is the tense for background information.
Is yesterday imperfect or preterite? ›
The imperfect is used to express an action that was not completed once, but several times in the past. There exist some words that will trigger the use of the Preterite. These are words that indicate very concrete times in the past, like: Ayer (yesterday)
What words trigger imperfect? ›
Words and Phrases That Trigger the Imperfect Tense
| English | Spanish |
|---|
| always | siempre |
| every day/week/month… | todos los días/las semanas/los meses |
| frequently | con frecuencia |
| never | nunca |
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Gustar has two main forms in the preterite: the singular gustó (pronounced: goos-TOH) and the plural gustaron (goos-TAH-rohn).
Which Spanish past tense is generally used for description? ›
The Spanish imperfect tense is generally used for descriptions of past events or actions without a specific endpoint in time. Though there are several past tense options in Spanish, the imperfect is one of the two most commonly used past tenses in the language.
What is the preterite used to describe? ›
The preterite is used to describe actions which have been completed. Spanish verbs come in three categories (-ar, -ir, and -er) and change (“conjugate”) according to who performed it and when the action occurred.
