Learn to distinguish between the pretérito imperfecto and pretérito indefinido to describe past actions like "enseñaba" (I used to teach) and specific events like "suspendió" (he suspended). This lesson clarifies habitual versus completed past actions, essential for expressing nuanced past narratives in Spanish.
- The simple past is used for actions that started and finished in the past and to narrate a series of events that happened in the past.
- The imperfect past tense is used to describe situations or actions in progress in the past.
- The imperfect tense can be used for the background or context, and the simple past for specific actions.
| Tiempo verbal (Verb tense) | Regla (Rule) | Ejemplo (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Pretérito Indefinido | Una acción que pasó y terminó en el pasado (An action that happened and ended in the past) | Aprobé el máster en 2022 (I passed the master's in 2022) |
| Pretérito Indefinido | Evento en el pasado (Event in the past) | El profesor suspendió la clase por la lluvia (The teacher cancelled the class because of the rain) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto | Acción habitual o repetida en el pasado (Habitual or repeated action in the past) | Siempre enseñaba en la escuela primaria (I always taught in primary school) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto | Cómo era un lugar o situación en el pasado (How a place or situation was in the past) | La escuela era antigua y tenía patio grande (The school was old and had a large playground) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto + Pretérito Indefinido | El imperfecto describe la situación y el indefinido dice qué pasó (The imperfect describes the situation and the simple past tells what happened) | Mientras veníamos de clase, llamó mi madre (While we were coming from class, my mother called) |
Exceptions!
- Both tenses can appear in the same narrative.
Exercise 1: ¿El pretérito imperfecto o el pretérito indefinido?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
encontré, suspendimos, explicaba, organizó, enseñabas, venía, aprobé, escribían, venían, tenía
1.
Aprobar:
El año pasado ... el máster en biología.
(Last year I passed the master's degree in biology.)
2.
Venir, Encontrar:
Mientras ... del instituto, me ... con Ana.
(While I was coming from school, I met Ana.)
3.
Enseñar:
¿Tú también ... en la escuela primaria?
(Did you also teach at primary school?)
4.
Organizar:
El director ... un viaje muy divertido el año pasado.
(The director organised a very fun trip last year.)
5.
Venir:
Ellos ... todos los días en bicicleta.
(They used to come every day by bike.)
6.
Suspender:
Nosotros ... la prueba de matemáticas.
(We failed the maths test.)
7.
Tener:
La escuela secundaria ... un gimnasio muy grande.
(The secondary school had a very large gym.)
8.
Explicar, Escribir:
Mientras el profesor ..., los alumnos ... notas.
(While the teacher was explaining, the students were taking notes.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence according to the use of the imperfect past tense or the preterite past tense in each context.
1.
Error: 'jugué' is in preterite, it is not used for habitual actions; the imperfect 'jugaba' should be used.
Error: 'fui' is in preterite indicating a punctual action, but the action is habitual; the imperfect 'era' should be used.
2.
Error: 'tomaban' (imperfect) indicates a habitual action, but here it is a punctual event; the preterite 'tomaron' should be used.
Error: 'explicaba' (imperfect) indicates an action in progress, but here it is a punctual event; the preterite 'explicó' should be used.
3.
Error: 'sonaba' (imperfect) indicates an ongoing action, but the phone rang at a specific moment; the preterite 'sonó' should be used.
Error: 'estudié' (preterite) indicates a finished action, but here it is an ongoing action; the imperfect 'estudiaba' should be used.
4.
Error: 'yesterday' indicates a specific moment, incompatible with 'always' and the imperfect; it should be preterite without 'always'.
Error: 'desayuné' is in preterite, incompatible with 'always' which indicates a habit; the imperfect 'desayunaba' should be used.