La Gramática

El Imperfecto y el Pretérito

Here are all three regular preterite verb forms together:

Note: The nosotros forms for -ar and -ir verbs are the same in both preterite and present tenses: hablamos, vivimos.

 

Here are all three regular imperfect verb forms together:

 

Generally speaking, the preterite is used for actions in the past that are seen as completed, while the imperfect tense is used for past actions that did not have a definite beginning or a definite end.

Another way to view this is that the preterite tells us specifically when an action took place, while the imperfect tells us in general when an action took place.

 

The preterite is used in the following situations:

  1. For actions that can be viewed as single events
  2. For actions that were repeated a specific number of times
  3. For actions that occurred during a specific period of time
  4. For actions that were part of a chain of events
  5. To state the beginning or the end of an action

The imperfect is used in the following situations:

  1. For actions that were repeated habitually
  2. For actions that "set the stage" for another past action
  3. For telling time
  4. For stating one's age
  5. For mental states (usually)
  6. For physical sensations (usually)
  7. To describe the characteristics of people, things or conditions
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect:

Some words and phrases indicate specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the preterite.

Other words and phrases indicate repetitive, vague or non-specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the imperfect.

 

Some verbs actually change meaning, depending upon whether they are used in the preterite or the imperfect. This is not surprising, since the difference in meaning can be traced back to the different way in which these two past tenses are used. conocer

querer

no querer

saber

poder

tener

 

 

¡Te Toca Practicar!

1. El chico una ranita bonita cuando era niño.
2. Las ranitas no _________ para siempre.

vivían vivía vivieron vivió viví

3. María español cada día en españa.

Review of endings

Name all the endings for the Imperfect tense Ar Verbs

Answer: aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban

Name all the endings for the Imperfect tense Er-Ir Verbs

Answer: ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían

Más Practica