Preterite vs. Imperfect: Actions vs. Descriptions

In Spanish, both the Preterite and Imperfect tenses talk about the past. The key is how they talk about it. Think of it as telling a story.

The Preterite: The Action

Use the Preterite for the main events of your story. These are completed actions that happened at a specific point in time. Think of them as snapshots or the key plot points.

• Single, completed actions:
  • Ayer, compré un libro. (Yesterday, I bought a book.) - The action is finished.
• A sequence of completed actions:
  • Me levanté, desayuné y salí. (I got up, had breakfast, and left.) - One action happened after another.

The Imperfect: The Scenery

Use the Imperfect to set the scene. It describes the background, ongoing situations, and habitual actions. It's the 'movie camera' describing what was happening.

• Descriptions in the past (weather, time, age, feelings):
  • Hacía sol y los pájaros cantaban. (It was sunny and the birds were singing.)
  • Yo tenía diez años. (I was ten years old.)
• Ongoing actions in the past (what 'was happening'):
  • Mientras yo estudiaba, mi hermano jugaba videojuegos. (While I was studying, my brother was playing video games.)
• Habitual actions in the past ('used to'):
  • Cada verano, nosotros visitábamos a nuestros abuelos. (Every summer, we used to visit our grandparents.)

A Note for Your Reading

As you read more, you might notice some verbs like querer (to want) or saber (to know) can change meaning slightly between these tenses. Don't worry about that for now! This drill focuses on the main rules, which cover 95% of what you'll see.