Preterite vs Imperfect
Pretérito e imperfecto
Two past tenses: completed actions vs ongoing background.
The rule
The preterite reports WHAT HAPPENED: completed events with a start or end, one after another ('Ayer fuimos al parque, comimos y volvimos'). The imperfect paints the BACKGROUND: what was going on, what used to happen, descriptions ('Hacía sol, el bebé dormía, siempre paseábamos por ahí'). The classic frame is interruption: imperfect for the ongoing scene, preterite for what cut in ('Dormía la siesta cuando sonó el teléfono').
Age, clock time, weather and feelings as scene-setting go imperfect: 'Tenía dos años', 'Eran las tres', 'Llovía'. Habit markers (siempre, todos los días, de niño) pull toward imperfect; bounded markers (ayer, una vez, de repente, el lunes) pull toward preterite. Four verbs shift meaning between the tenses: sabía (knew) vs supe (found out); conocía (knew a person/place) vs conocí (met for the first time); quería (wanted) vs quise (tried) / no quise (refused); podía (was able, in general) vs pude (managed to).
Examples
Dormía la siesta cuando sonó el timbre.
He was napping when the doorbell rang. (background imperfect, interrupting preterite)
De niña, siempre pasaba los veranos en la playa.
As a girl, I always spent summers at the beach. (habit → imperfect)
Ayer el bebé dio sus primeros pasos.
Yesterday the baby took his first steps. (completed event → preterite)
Hacía frío y no había nadie en la plaza.
It was cold and there was nobody at the square. (scene-setting → imperfect)
Ayer supe que estás embarazada. ¡Felicidades!
Yesterday I found out you're pregnant. Congratulations! (saber in preterite = found out)
Try it yourself
Three quick questions, straight from the app. No sign-up needed.
El bebé dormía cuando ___ el teléfono.
The baby was sleeping when the phone rang.
All 14 Preterite vs Imperfect questions, free in Hablaba
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