Spanish Tenses: Preterite vs Imperfect

If you’re a Spanish learner, you’ve likely encountered the challenge of understanding and using the Spanish past tenses: preterite and imperfect. These two tenses are crucial for expressing actions and events that have occurred in the past in Spanish, but they can be confusing to differentiate and use correctly

In this article, we will dive into the world of Spanish past tenses, specifically the preterite and imperfect, and explore their distinct characteristics, common uses, and key differences.

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Spanish Preterite Verbs: What Are they used for?

It is often said that the preterite is a past tense that is used to describe actions that took place in the past and now are over. But of course, there’s much more to it than that!

Here are 5 key uses of Spanish preterite verbs

1. Completed actions in the past

As we said above, the preterite past tense in Spanish is used to describe actions, events, and occurrences that happened in the past and are now completed. These actions usually happened just once.

For example:

• Ayer comí una pizza. (Yesterday, I ate a pizza.)
• Anoche vi una película. (Last night, I watched a movie.)
• El año pasado fui a México. (Last year, I went to Mexico.)

2. Starts and stops

The preterite tense is also used to describe actions that have –I mean, had– a clear beginning and end.

• Empezó a llover a las 3 de la tarde. (It started raining at 3 pm.)
• Terminé mi tarea a las 8 de la noche. (I finished my homework at 8 pm.)
• Comencé a estudiar español el año pasado. (I began studying Spanish last year.)

3. When specific dates and times are mentioned

Since the preterite past tense in Spanish is not about past habits but about things that happened a limited number of times, Spanish preterite verbs are often used next to specific dates or times.

• Fui al cine el sábado. (I went to the cinema on Saturday.)
• Ayer, a las 7 de la mañana, tomé un café. (Yesterday, at 7 am, I had a coffee.)
• El año pasado, el 14 de febrero, me casé. (Last year, on February 14th, I got married.)

4. Chains of events

The preterite tense is also used to describe a series of events that happened in the past one immediately after the other.

• Me desperté, me vestí y salí de casa. (I woke up, got dressed, and left the house.)
• Llegué al aeropuerto, facturé mi equipaje y abordé el avión. (I arrived at the airport, checked my luggage, and boarded the plane.)
• Compré la entrada, entré al teatro y me senté. (I bought the ticket, entered the theater, and sat down.)

Spanish tenses: preterite endings

The preterite tense is formed differently for regular and irregular verbs. The good news is that the vast majority of Spanish preterite verbs are regular, and that they follow a specific pattern of endings.

Here are the different conjugations for the preterite past tense in Spanish

Spanish tenses: preterite regular verbs

As you can see, the rules for conjugating regular verbs are quite straightforward. However, there are a number of irregular verbs that do not follow the standard endings. It’s important to recognize these irregular verbs and memorize their conjugations to avoid common mistakes in Spanish.

Spanish tenses: preterite irregular verbs

Here is a chart with the main irregular verbs in the preterite tense, along with their conjugations:

The Imperfect Past Tense in Spanish

Unlike the preterite tense, which describes actions that happened once and are now over, the imperfect describes actions that were happening for a certain period of time, or things that happened repeatedly.

Here are some examples of when to use the imperfect tense:

1. Description of characteristics of an event or fact

El cielo estaba despejado y el sol brillaba. (The sky was clear and the sun was shining.)

2. Talking about the time in the past:

Eran las cinco de la tarde cuando llegamos a casa. (It was five o’clock in the afternoon when we arrived home.)

3. Physical description of a person or place in the past:

Cuando era joven, mi abuela tenía el pelo largo y rubio. (When she was young, my grandmother had long, blonde hair.)

4. Talking about past habits or routines

De niño, siempre jugaba con mis amigos en el parque. (As a child, I always played with my friends in the park.)

5. Expressing contrast between the past and the present

Antes no tenía mucho dinero, pero ahora tengo un buen trabajo. (I didn’t have much money before, but now I have a good job.)

6. Talking about interrupted actions

Estaba durmiendo cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was sleeping when the phone rang.)

7. Talking about two past actions happening at the same time.

(We use the word “mientras” to mean “while”)

Example: Mientras hablaba con mi amigo, escuchaba música. (While I was talking to my friend, I was listening to music.)

Spanish Tenses: Imperfect Endings

Regular imperfect verbs

Irregular imperfect verbs

While regular verbs in the imperfect tense follow a specific pattern of conjugation, there are some irregular verbs that do not follow this pattern. In this table, we will explore the conjugations of irregular verbs in the imperfect past tense in Spanish. These irregular verbs have unique endings that differ from the regular -ar, -er, and -ir verb endings:|

Spanish Tenses: Preterite vs Imperfect

Three main differences between the two main past Spanish tenses: preterite vs imperfect:

1.   Completed actions vs. ongoing actions

The preterite is used to describe completed actions that have a definite beginning and end. For example, “Ayer compré una manzana” (Yesterday, I bought an apple). The imperfect, on the other hand, is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. For example, “Cuando era niño, jugaba con mis amigos” (When I was a child, I used to play with my friends).

2. Specific events vs. background information

The preterite is used for specific events that happened at a particular time. For example, “El año pasado viajé a España” (Last year, I traveled to Spain). The imperfect, on the other hand, is used for background information or to set the scene. For example, “Era un día soleado y la gente paseaba por las calles” (It was a sunny day and people were walking through the streets).

3. Interrupted actions vs. simultaneous actions

The preterite is used to describe an action that was interrupted by another action in the past. For example, “Estaba leyendo un libro cuando sonó el teléfono” (I was reading a book when the phone rang). The imperfect, on the other hand, is used to describe two actions happening simultaneously in the past. For example, “Mientras él hablaba por teléfono, yo preparaba la cena” (While he was talking on the phone, I was preparing dinner).

To sum up, the two Spanish past tenses, the preterite and the imperfect tense, have similar but distinct uses in Spanish. The preterite is used for specific actions that happened at a particular time, while the imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions, background information, and simultaneous actions in the past.

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While making a grammar mistake in Spanish is not usually a big deal, it is important to understand the differences between these two Spanish past tenses in order to communicate correctly.

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