Preterite vs Imperfect

Imperfect -ar verb endings are...

• aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban

• abba, abbas, abba, abbamos, abbais, abban

• ía, ías, ía, íamos, íasis, ían

• ia, ias, ia, iamos, iais, ian

Imperfect -er/-ir verb endings are...

• ia, ias, ia, iamos, iais, ian

• ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían

• aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban

• o, as, a, amos, áis, an

Preterite actions are those that...

• are actions that are ongoing

• are actions that happen multiple times

• are actions that happen ONE time in the past tense

• are actions that happen simultaneously in the past

Imperfect actions are those that...

• happen more than one time in the past

• happen one time in the past

• happen three times in the past

• happen in the present

Preterite or Imperfect: I walked to school yesterday

Preterite or Imperfect: As a kid, I was shy.

Preterite or Imperfect: There was an earthquake.

Preterite or Imperfect: There was a lot of water in the streets

Preterite or Imperfect: Yo hablé en la clase de ciencias

Preterite or Imperfect: Caminaba a la escuela cada día