Ah, the dreaded past tense. Once the Spanish learner comes to terms with ser and estar, they are thrown the curve ball of preterite and imperfect. Here is a quick review of the main uses of each. However, keep in mind that as with any grammar “rule” there are exceptions!
The preterite is used when talking about:
| Events that have been completed in the past. | Compré unos pantalones en el centro commercial ayer. |
| A series of events. | Vine, vi, conquisté. |
| Actions repeated a specific number of times. | Hablé con él tres veces. |
| Actions occurring for a specific period of time. | Escuché música durante media hora. |
The imperfect is used when talking about:
| Habitual actions in the past (as in the English “used to”) | De niño, yo jugaba con mis amigos después de la escuela. |
| Describing or setting up a scene | La habitación era oscura. El viento soplaba, y las hojas del árbol pegaban contra la ventana. |
| Characteristics of someone or something. | El hombre era alto, guapo, y amable. |
| The time and weather | Eran las ocho de la noche y hacía mucho viento. |
| Age | Yo tenía siete años cuando nació mi hermanito. |
| Mental states and physical sensations | Estaba enojada y tenía frío. |
One of the best ways to recognize when to use the preterite or the imperfect is to tune in to key words, or what I call “red flag words”.
Words referring to specific, completed time periods indicate that the preterite should be used:
ayer/anteayer/anoche – yesterday/the day before yesterday/last night
el año/mes/semana pasado(a) – last year/month/week
por….segundos/minutos/horas/días – for …..seconds/minutes/hours/days
hace ….años/meses/días – …. years/months/days ago
Words that refer to vague, unspecific time or repetition indicate the imperfect should be used:
todos los días – every day
cada año/mes/viernes – every year/month/Friday
siempre – always
generalmente – generally, usually
frecuentemente – frequently
en aquella época – at that time, in those days
