¿El Pretérito o El Imperfecto?

¿El Pretérito o El Imperfecto?

Ahora que sabemos el pretérito y el imperfecto, tenemos que entender cómo usar los dos cuando hablamos del pasado

Let's review the basic rules for using the preterite.

Take notes as you go, especially of all the examples

Think about the preterite as having a very specific time frame for the occurrence of the action

and remember

hubo = there was/were only if it means

there occurred/there happened

Using the imperfect ....

So with the imperfect ...

• habitual/repeated actions; "used to"

• set the scene, create a mental picture

• tell time, age

• give descriptions, especially of mental/emotional states

Let's look at a few examples in English

Would this need the preterite or imperfect?

When I was six years old

That will be imperfect because it tells age in the past

Would this need the preterite or imperfect?

We used to play together

That will be imperfect because it tells a repeated action in the past

Would this need the preterite or imperfect?

They went to the library

That would be preterite as it is a completed past action

Would this need the preterite or imperfect?

She wrote me a letter

That would be the preterite because again it has one completed action

Would this need the preterite or imperfect?

It was sunny and warm

That would be the imperfect because it is describing or setting the scene in the past

Try a few more

Multiple Choice

They came to my house

• preterite

• imperfect

Multiple Choice

There were many people there

• preterite

• imperfect

Remember that type of there was/there were can't be replaced by there occurred/happened, so it would be the imperfect (había)

Multiple Choice

He was very funny

• imperfect

• preterite

Bueno.

Let's try some in Spanish.

For these, you'll need to think carefully about what the sentence means to make a decision for the tense

Todos los sábados, mi hermana y yo (fuimos/íbamos) al museo.

That would be íbamos because it says todos los sábados, indicating it happened repeatedly

A las ocho y diez, los estudiantes (entraron/entraban) la clase.

That would be entraron because it's a specific completed action

Multiple Choice

Todos los años nuestra tía nos (LLEVAR) a su casa en la playa. 

• llevaba
• llevó

Multiple Choice

Cuando yo (SER) joven, tenia muchos animales. 

• era
• fui

Multiple Choice

Ayer, yo (TOMAR) mi primera clase de baile.

• tomaba

• tomé

Multiple Choice

Generalmente, mis padres (VISITAR) los museos los fines de semana. 

• visitaban
• visitaron

Multiple Choice

(HACER) sol cuando (IR) a la playa ayer.

• Hacía, fuimos

• Hizo, íbamos

• Hacía, íbamos

• Hizo, fuimos

On that one, it starts with the imperfect (hacía) because it is describing, then it moves to the preterite (fuimos) to state the completed action

When you have multiple verbs in a sentence, you have to decide the function of each to decide if they are preterite or imperfect. It is perfectly normal to have them appear in any combination.

They can both be preterite, especially if the sentence is just naming completed actions:

Yo salí de la casa y conduje a escuela.

I left the house and drove to school.

They can both be imperfect:

Cuando vivía en Charlottesville, salía muy temprano para trabajo porque había mucho tráfico.

When I lived (used to live) in Charlottesville, I left (used to leave) very early because there was a lot of traffic.

There can verbs in both tenses, especially when you have compound sentences where you are "interrupting" an action or adding an emotional clarifier

Yo leía cuando tú me llamaste.

I was reading when you called me.

Tú fuiste al estreno porque querías ver los actores.

You went to the premiere because you wanted to see the actors.

Try a few of these:

Multiple Choice

Cuando yo (MANEJAR) a la casa nosotros (CANTAR) canciones de Shakira.

• manejaba, cantábamos

• manejaba, cantamos

• manejé, cantamos

• manejé, cantábamos

Imperfect on both of those because I'm saying when I was driving, we were singing

Multiple Choice

Ayer Manuel (IR) a la práctica, (CORRER), y (JUGAR).

• fue, corrió, jugó
• iba, corría, jugaba
• fue, corría, jugaba
• iba, corrió, jugó

All preterite on those because it's a simple list of the things he did yesterday

Multiple Choice

Yo (CAMINAR) por la calle cuando (VER) un accidente.

• caminé, vi

• caminé, veía

• caminaba, veía

• caminaba, vi

Imperfect and then preterite on that one because I'm saying - I was walking when I saw - this is a classic example of the "interruption" style of imperfect/preterite past tense sentence

Multiple Choice

Cuando yo (TENER) 7 años, mi familia yo yo (IR) a Disney World.

• tuve, fuimos

• tenía, íbamos

• tuve, íbamos

• tenía, fuimos

Imperfect preterite again on this one - but it's not interruption.

It starts with an age which needs imperfect and then preterite because it's one event (we went)

Multiple Choice

Anoche yo (IR) de compras y (COMPRAR) muchos regalos para las navidades.

• fui, compraba
• fui, compré
• iba, compraba
• iba, compré

Both preterite on that one because it's a list of what I did last night

Multiple Choice

(SER) las dos de la tarde cuando ellos (LLEGAR) a la clase. 

• eran, llegaban
• fueron, llegaron
• eran, llegaron
• fueron, llegaban

Imperfect to tell the time and then preterite to state when they arrived - the completed action

This all takes practice! It's a tricky topic to get comfortable with.

Try some more with the next practice in Canvas and let me know what questions you have.