{"id":1714,"date":"2022-09-08T06:04:41","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T06:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/?p=1714"},"modified":"2022-09-07T08:05:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T08:05:30","slug":"preterite-vs-imperfect-when-do-we-use-them-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/ko\/preterite-vs-imperfect-when-do-we-use-them-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Preterite vs Imperfect \u2013 When do we use them in Spanish?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pret\u00e9rito or Imperfecto \u2013 What do they look like?<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

I went to the beach but it was raining by the time I arrived! Not only is that first sentence a terrible situation to end up in, but also it shows you two past tenses<\/strong> that we use in English \u2013 the past simple<\/strong> and the past continuous<\/strong>. In Spanish<\/strong>, there are also multiple past structures which we need to learn how to use correctly if we are going to speak fluently<\/strong>. Today we\u2019re going to look at the pret\u00e9rito<\/strong> (preterite \u2013 similar to past simple<\/em>) and the imperfecto<\/strong> (imperfect \u2013 similar to the past continuous<\/em>). If we wanted to talk about our beach predicament in Spanish, we\u2019d say Fui a la playa pero estaba lloviendo cuando llegu\u00e9<\/strong>. Let\u2019s take a closer look at how these tenses work and when to use them.<\/p>\n

Both of these tenses are used for past events<\/strong>, and we can generalise a bit by saying that the pret\u00e9rito<\/strong> is more for a specific action which ended at a specific time<\/strong> and the imperfecto<\/strong> is for general actions without a definite time or ending<\/strong>. It\u2019s also true that certain time phrases<\/strong> tend to be used with one of the two tenses. Before we get into all that, here\u2019s the conjugaciones<\/strong> (conjugations<\/em>) of verbos regulares<\/strong> (regular verbs<\/em>) in the two tenses using the verb hablar<\/strong> (to speak<\/em>) and comer<\/strong> (to eat<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/div>

Regular verbs in the pret\u00e9rito<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Person<\/b><\/td>\n-ar verbs (e.g. hablar)<\/b><\/td>\n-er and \u2013ir verbs (e.g. comer)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yo<\/td>\nHabl\u00e9<\/td>\nCom\u00ed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/td>\nHablaste<\/td>\nComiste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l, Ella, Usted<\/td>\nHabl\u00f3<\/td>\nComi\u00f3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/td>\nHablamos<\/td>\nComimos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/td>\nHablast\u00e9is<\/td>\nComisteis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellas, Ellos, Ustedes<\/td>\nHablaron<\/td>\nComieron<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n<\/div>

Regular verbs in the imperfecto<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Person<\/b><\/td>\n-ar verbs (e.g. hablar)<\/b><\/td>\n-er and \u2013ir verbs (e.g. comer)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yo<\/td>\nHablaba<\/td>\nCom\u00eda<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/td>\nHablabas<\/td>\nCom\u00edas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l, Ella, Usted<\/td>\nHablaba<\/td>\nCom\u00eda<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/td>\nHabl\u00e1bamos<\/td>\nCom\u00edamos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/td>\nHablabais<\/td>\nCom\u00edais<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellas, Ellos, Ustedes<\/td>\nHablaban<\/td>\nCom\u00edan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n<\/div>

Easy! Just learn those endings and you can conjugar<\/strong> (conjugate<\/em>) all regular verbs in these two past tenses. As with everything in life, there are exceptions to these rules<\/strong> and many of the most common verbs are irregular<\/strong>. For instance, ser\/estar<\/strong> (to be<\/em>), ir<\/strong> (to go<\/em>) and several others. But, \u00a1no te preocupes!<\/strong> (don\u2019t worry!<\/em>), if you come to do a course here at Hablamos<\/strong>, we will teach you all about the irregular verbs and more.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s have a look at some of the main uses<\/strong> of the pret\u00e9rito and the imperfecto. We think the best way to learn Spanish grammar<\/strong> is to see lots of examples so you can really understand how things work.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Ejemplos de los usos del pret\u00e9rito e imperfecto \u2013 Examples of how to use the preterite and the imperfect<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

First, let\u2019s start with the pret\u00e9rito<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Completed actions with a definite ending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    Com\u00ed<\/strong> un plato de paella anoche \u2013 I ate a plate of paella last night<\/em>
    \nCompr\u00f3<\/strong> un reloj la semana pasada \u2013 He\/she bought a watch last week<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      \n
    • A sequence of individual actions in the past<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n

      Fuimos<\/strong> al museo, vimos<\/strong> unas esculturas luego volvimos<\/strong> a casa \u2013 We went to the museum, we saw some sculptures then we went back home<\/em>
      \nPuse<\/strong> la mesa y comimos<\/strong> todos juntos \u2013 I set the table and we all ate together<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        \n
      • When an action interrupts another action in the imperfect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n

        Estaba viendo la tele cuando son\u00f3<\/strong> el timbre \u2013 He\/she was watching TV when the doorbell rang<\/em>
        \nIba caminando por la calle cuando me ca\u00ed<\/strong> al suelo \u2013 I was walking down the street when I fell over<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        And here are some of the main uses of the imperfecto<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • For continuous or repeated actions in the past without a clear start\/end<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n

          Discut\u00edamos<\/strong> constantemente por el dinero \u2013 We constantly argued about money<\/em>
          \nCarlos y sus hermanos jugaban<\/strong> al f\u00fatbol todos los d\u00edas \u2013 Carlos and his brothers played football every single day<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

            \n
          • For background details and information in a story\/end<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n

            Hac\u00eda<\/strong> muy buen tiempo y estaban<\/strong> muy contentos \u2013 The weather was great and they were very happy<\/em>
            \nHab\u00eda<\/strong> mucho viento y llov\u00eda<\/strong> todo el rato \u2013 It was very windy and it rained the whole time <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

              \n
            • When two actions are happening at the same time\/end<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n

              Mientras habl\u00e1bamos<\/strong> en ingl\u00e9s, el professor escuchaba<\/strong> a nuestras conversaciones para ponernos una nota \u2013 While we were speaking in English, the teacher was listening to our conversations to give us a grade<\/em>
              \nLaura com\u00eda<\/strong> un helado mientras le\u00eda<\/strong> su libro favorito en la playa \u2013 Laura was eating an ice cream while she read her favourite book on the beach <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

                \n
              • To talk about an action happening at that time when it is interrupted by another in the preterite<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                \n

                Estaba<\/strong> escuchando a mi m\u00fasica cuando mi madre me llam\u00f3 \u2013 I was listening to my music when my mother called me<\/em>
                \nLos ni\u00f1os peleaban<\/strong> cuando su padre les grit\u00f3<\/strong> \u2013 The children were fighting when their father shouted at them <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

                These are just the basics<\/strong> of these two important verb tenses, and you\u2019ll have to speak and write in Spanish<\/strong> a lot to fully understand all the uses.<\/p>\n<\/div>

                Time phrases which use the pret\u00e9rito or the imperfecto<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
                <\/div><\/div>

                Certain time phrases<\/strong> are a clue as to which tense to use. Here are some examples. You can obviously change a lot of these to talk about different years, months or time periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                Time phrases using el pret\u00e9rito<\/em><\/b><\/td>\nTime phrases using el imperfecto<\/em><\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                Anoche (last night<\/em>)<\/td>\nA menudo (often<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                El a\u00f1o\/mes pasado (last year\/month<\/em>)<\/td>\nSiempre (always<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                El viernes pasado (last Friday or any day<\/em>)<\/td>\nDe vez en cuando (sometimes<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                Una vez (one time<\/em>)<\/td>\nTodas las semanas (Every week<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                En 2019 (In 2019<\/em>)<\/td>\nTodo el tiempo (All the time<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

                \n<\/div>

                And there you go \u2013 an introduction to the world of the pret\u00e9rito<\/strong> and the imperfecto<\/strong> in Spanish! All it takes to be able to use these tenses correctly is practice, practice, practice<\/strong>. And where better place to get started speaking Spanish<\/strong> than by coming to join one of our face-to-face or online courses<\/strong> at Hablamos<\/mark>. <\/p>\n<\/div>

                You won\u2019t regret it! Hablamos<\/mark> \u2013 full-on Spanish!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3><\/div>
                <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>