Preterite vs. Imperfect: The Spanish Past Tenses
Spanish has two simple past tenses: the preterite (pretérito) and the imperfect (imperfecto). Choosing between them depends on whether an action was completed or ongoing. A guide from Spanish Academy explains that the preterite expresses specific completed actions while the imperfect describes general, habitual or ongoing actions.
Preterite – Completed Actions
Use the preterite for actions that occurred once and were completed in the past. Regular verbs take the following endings:
| Pronoun | ‑ar ending | ‑er/‑ir ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | ‑é | ‑í |
| tú | ‑aste | ‑iste |
| él/ella/usted | ‑ó | ‑ió |
| nosotros/as | ‑amos | ‑imos |
| vosotros/as | ‑asteis | ‑isteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | ‑aron | ‑ieron |
Example: hablar → hablé, hablaste, habló…
Common time expressions used with the preterite include “ayer” (yesterday), “la semana pasada” (last week), and “el año pasado” (last year).
Imperfect – Ongoing or Habitual Actions
The imperfect is used for habitual actions, background descriptions, or actions that were ongoing in the past. Regular verbs take these endings:
| Pronoun | ‑ar ending | ‑er/‑ir ending |
|---|---|---|
| yo | ‑aba | ‑ía |
| tú | ‑abas | ‑ías |
| él/ella/usted | ‑aba | ‑ía |
| nosotros/as | ‑ábamos | ‑íamos |
| vosotros/as | ‑abais | ‑íais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | ‑aban | ‑ían |
Example: comer → comía, comías, comía…
Putting It Together
Use the preterite to narrate what happened, and the imperfect to describe what was going on. For instance:
- Ayer comí en un restaurante. – I ate in a restaurant yesterday (completed action – preterite).
- Cuando era niño comía muchas frutas. – When I was a child I used to eat a lot of fruit (habitual – imperfect).
By practicing with stories, you’ll develop an intuition for which past tense to use.