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Spanish Preterite vs. Imperfect: Usage and Conjugation Guide

Learn about the differences between the preterite and imperfect past tenses in Spanish, including usage rules, conjugation forms, and key words. Understand how to express completed actions, ongoing actions, habits, and descriptions in the past.

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Spanish Preterite vs. Imperfect: Usage and Conjugation Guide

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  1. Preterite vs. Imperfect P. 5

  2. Preterite vs. Imperfect Spanish has two past tenses: preterite and imperfect. They refer to past actions, but are used in different situations/differently. The preterite= Completed action Ex: I bought a shirt yesterday. The imperfect= Ongoing / repeated action/ a description in the past/ usually has no reference to beginning or end/ used to (would do) Ex: I used to ride my bike every day.

  3. SPICY (Preterit) S=specific, sudden occurrence, completed actions in the past (–ed endings -what happened/occurred) P=past actions that were part of a series of distinct instances, or actions that repeated a series of times. (not to be confused with habitual) Ex: Me levanté , me bañé, y comí el desayuno. I=interrupting actions of an ongoing action in the imperfect. Hacía mi tarea cuando llamó mi mamá C=completed actions that occurred during a specific period of time, and to state the beginning or end of an action. La fiesta empezó en la tarde. Y="yesterday” (anoche y ayer)

  4. Preterit These words usually refer to actions that are completed: KEY WORDS ayer (yesterday) anoche (last night) el año/mes pasado (last year/ last month) la semana pasada (Last week)

  5. Conjugation forms for the preterit • To conjugate verbs in the preterit, simply drop the (-ar,-er, or -ir) ending and add one of the following (this doesn’t include the irregular verbs): -AR -ER/-IR éasteóamosaron íisteióimosieron

  6. Ejemplos

  7. U-TOADSTEW (imperfect) U= Used to/ habitual Yo iba al cine todos los viernes Yo trabajaba en Target cuando era joven. T=thoughts or feelings (attitudes, and beliefs) O=ongoing/circumstance/ action in the pastwith no reference to its beginning or end. (was/were + -ing) form of verb.Caminaba por el parque en la tarde… A=age Tenía 20 años D=descriptions of people, places, situations, and the physical state of an object. La puerta estaba abierta. S= setting or scene description (background information, such as the time, the weather, and the location) T=time/date Eran las tres de la tarde. E= emotion/ mental/ state of mind Estaba enojado. W=weather Hacía mucho frío.

  8. The imperfect These words refer to actions that were repeated or habitual in the past: KEY WORDS Siempre (always) todos los días (every day) cada semana/mes/año/verano (every week/month/year/summer) los sábados (on Saturdays) a menudo (often) muchas veces (many times) generalmente (generally) Mientras (meanhwhile/while)

  9. Conjugation Forms for The imperfect To conjugate verbs in the imperfect, simply drop the (-ar, -er, or -ir) ending and add the following: abaabasabaábamosaban -AR -ER /-IR ía ías ía Íamos ían

  10. Some verbs change meaning in the imperfect and preterite:

  11. The Differences

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