Preterite or Imperfect
Spanish Grammar 3
Course 3 · Chapter 6 · Preterite or Imperfect?
⚖️ Preterite or Imperfect? — ¿Pretérito o imperfecto?
Spanish has two simple past tenses, and English usually has one. Choosing between them is the biggest hurdle in Spanish grammar, but the logic is consistent. The preterite tells the events, the things that happened, one after another. The imperfect paints the background, what things were like and what was going on while the events happened. Both appear in the same story, often in the same sentence.
Side by side
| Preterite | Imperfect | |
|---|---|---|
| role in a story | the events, the action | the scene, the background |
| time | a point, or a period with an end | open-ended, no beginning or end given |
| repetition | a stated number of times: fui tres veces | habit: iba todos los días |
| English | "I went, I arrived, I said" | "I used to go, I was going, I was" |
| example | Abrí la puerta. | Abría la puerta cada mañana. |
Signal words
| Words that suggest the preterite | Words that suggest the imperfect |
|---|---|
| ayer, anoche, anteayer · el lunes, el año pasado · una vez, dos veces · de repente · en 2020, hace dos días · por fin, entonces · durante tres años | siempre, a menudo, a veces · todos los días, cada verano · de niño / de pequeño · normalmente, generalmente · mientras · en aquella época · antes |
These are helpful guides, not rules: the meaning decides. Siempre fui puntual en la escuela. (a closed period viewed as a whole: preterite) can follow siempre.
Worked story
Un día de lluvia
Interrupted and simultaneous actions
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| imperfect (in progress) + preterite (interruption) | Dormía cuando sonó el teléfono. · Estaba cocinando cuando llegaste. | I was sleeping when the phone rang. I was cooking when you arrived. |
| two simultaneous actions: imperfect + imperfect | Mientras yo cocinaba, ella leía. | While I cooked, she read. |
| a sequence: preterite + preterite | Llegué, cené y me acosté. | I arrived, had dinner and went to bed. |
| an action that happened during a scene | Cuando era niño, me rompí el brazo. | When I was a child, I broke my arm. |
The same verb in both tenses
| Verb | Preterite: an event | Imperfect: a state |
|---|---|---|
| conocer | Conocí a Ana en 2020. I met Ana. | Conocía a Ana desde niños. I knew Ana (already). |
| saber | Supe la noticia ayer. I found out. | Sabía la noticia. I knew the news. |
| querer | Quise ayudarte. I tried to help. · No quise ir. I refused. | Quería ayudarte. I wanted to help (a wish). · No quería ir. I didn't want to go. |
| poder | Pude terminarlo. I managed to. · No pude. I couldn't (and didn't). | Podía terminarlo. I was able to (it was possible). |
| tener | Tuve un accidente. I had an accident. | Tenía un coche rojo. I had a red car. |
| estar | Estuve en Madrid tres días. I was there three days. | Estaba en Madrid cuando llamaste. I was in Madrid. |
| ser | La reunión fue a las tres. The meeting took place at three. | Era tarde. It was late. |
A quick decision test
- Could you put "then" or "suddenly" in front of it? Yes → preterite.
- Could you put "used to" or "was -ing" in front of it? Yes → imperfect.
- Is it a description (people, places, weather, age, time)? → imperfect.
- Is it a single complete event, or a counted number of times? → preterite.
- Is it a mental state (knew, wanted, thought, believed)? → usually imperfect; use the preterite to say it started or was a one-off.
🗣️ In Use — En situación
Mark each verb as an event or a background.
① A call
② Meeting someone
③ The trip
📋 Quick Reference — Resumen
| Question | Tense |
|---|---|
| A completed event, a snapshot, a sequence of actions? | preterite |
| A habit, "used to"? | imperfect |
| A description (weather, age, time, people, places)? | imperfect |
| An action in progress, interrupted? | imperfect (interruption: preterite) |
| Two actions at the same time? | imperfect + imperfect (mientras) |
| A stated duration with an end? | preterite |
| A counted number of times? | preterite |
| Mental state (knew, wanted)? | imperfect; preterite = started or one-off |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Fill in: "Cuando (ser) niño, (vivir) en Madrid."
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era · vivía.
2. Fill in: "Mientras yo (cocinar), ella (leer)."
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cocinaba · leía. (two simultaneous background actions)
3. Fill in: "(Dormir, yo) cuando (sonar) el teléfono."
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Dormía · sonó.
4. Fill in: "(Hacer) frío y (llover) cuando (salir, yo) de casa."
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Hacía · llovía · salí.
5. Fill in: "Anoche (conocer, yo) a Ana. Antes no la (conocer)."
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conocí · conocía.
6. Fill in: "El año pasado (ir, yo) a Madrid tres veces." · "Cada verano (ir, nosotros) a la playa."
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fui (counted: preterite) · íbamos (habit: imperfect).
7. Say in Spanish: "I wanted to go, but I couldn't."
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Quería ir, pero no pude.
8. Say in Spanish: "He was tired, so he went to bed."
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Estaba cansado, así que se acostó.
9. Explain the difference: Viví en Madrid cinco años / Vivía en Madrid cuando nació mi hijo.
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A finished period of five years (preterite) / the situation that formed the background to another event (imperfect).
10. Correct the mistakes: De niño, fui a la playa cada verano. · Ayer llegaba a las ocho. · Eran las tres cuando sonaba el teléfono.
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De niño, iba a la playa cada verano (habit) · Ayer llegué a las ocho (a single event) · Eran las tres cuando sonó el teléfono (an event that interrupted).