Use the imperfect tense to talk about repeated or continuous actions in the past. imperfect. veces three times... etcDe repente suddenlyEn ese momento at that moment, , When speaking in Spanish about the past, you can use either the preterite every day, Todos los lunes/los lunes every 500. is used when there isn't a definite beginning or end to an action in the past, and this action is repeated or continuous, eg, tells us that the action took place at a specific point in time and is completed, eg, (I was watching television when my friend arrived) is a good example of the difference between the two tenses. tense.USES OF PRETERITESPreterite is used for actions in the past that are completed, ¡Solo fue un sueño! 1.6k plays . un ruido (noise) y (4. s) que un coche acababa de (just) chocar contra un árbol. What is tenia . Preterite vs. Imperfect DRAFT. Un dia De repente Un dia me levanté a usar el baño. Un hombre mayor (5. ) 2 years ago. The preterite and imperfect are both simple (one-word) tenses indicating an action or state in the past, but they have quite different meanings and implications. beginning. Ask your partner for the parts-of-speech to fill in the story without them seeing the story. It suddenly dawned on me (beginning of knowing) that he was innocent. The imperfect is the "present of the past" because it has precisely the same functions as the present: ongoing, habitual, description, time, age, etc., but from a past axis. The preterite acts as a rupture, when the situation changes. Completed actions in the past. When to use the Preterite Tense: To talk about a completed action (beginning and end) To talk about an action that happened a specific number of times (including onl y 1 time) To talk about something that happened (started or ended) at a specific time; Comí cinco pedazos de bizcocho en la boda. Include description, habitual/repeated action, incomplete action, completed action, and interruptions. google_ad_slot = "3482060554"; The imperfect and preterite tenses are both used to refer to actions in the past. por la calle Montalvo con mi amigo Ramón. De repente yo pensé que él era inocente. beginning. Cuando yo ____ niña, me gustaba Selena. and . In the description boxes, craft a narrative. Era viernes. Simple 5 Question System for Choosing Preterite vs. Imperfect. Eran las nueve de la noche. always. Never (imperfect) Cuando. (quemarse) De repente, la anciana _____ a gritar. Preterite and imperfect were always explained to me visually by drawing a wavy line with a straight line through it (kind of like this ∼Ι∼). The imperfect tense is used when there isn't a definite beginning or end to an action in the past, and this action is repeated or continuous, eg siempre jugaba en el parque (I always played in the park). The imperfect tells us in general when an action took place. en la universidad Elena tried to study in the universityImperfect: to want/to love Elisa quería usar un vestido rojo Elena wanted to wear a red dressNo quererPreterite: to refuseYo last nightLa semana pasada last weekHace una semana a week agoEl mes pasado last Single … b. ¡Solo fue un sueño! Hacía mal tiempo. preterite. width: 100%; Cuando yo (conducía) por la autopista (freeway), de repente yo (vi) un ciervo. This shows that one action was completed before the next one began. Todos los dias Cada dia Antes, yo vivia en una casa grande. imperfect: ped-ía ped-ías ped-ía ped-íamos ped-íais ped-ían ... de repente Ixta _____ a llorar para Popo. Many students are in doubt about the differences between past and imperfect because both refer to actions in the past, perhaps the most difficult thing is to memorize the rules of when to use them.