This lesson explains the differences between the Spanish past tenses pretérito imperfecto and pretérito indefinido. It covers when to use each tense with practical examples, helping learners understand actions completed in the past versus habitual or ongoing past situations. It also highlights how these tenses can combine to provide richer storytelling in Spanish.
- The simple past is used for actions that started and finished in the past and to narrate a series of events that happened in the past.
- The imperfect past tense is used to describe situations or actions in progress in the past.
- The imperfect tense can be used for the background or context, and the simple past for specific actions.
| Tiempo verbal (Verb tense) | Regla (Rule) | Ejemplo (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Pretérito Indefinido | Una acción que pasó y terminó en el pasado (An action that happened and ended in the past) | Aprobé el máster en 2022 (I passed the master's in 2022) |
| Pretérito Indefinido | Evento en el pasado (Event in the past) | El profesor suspendió la clase por la lluvia (The teacher cancelled the class because of the rain) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto | Acción habitual o repetida en el pasado (Habitual or repeated action in the past) | Siempre enseñaba en la escuela primaria (I always taught in primary school) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto | Cómo era un lugar o situación en el pasado (How a place or situation was in the past) | La escuela era antigua y tenía patio grande (The school was old and had a large playground) |
| Pretérito Imperfecto + Pretérito Indefinido | El imperfecto describe la situación y el indefinido dice qué pasó (The imperfect describes the situation and the simple past tells what happened) | Mientras veníamos de clase, llamó mi madre (While we were coming from class, my mother called) |
Exceptions!
- Both tenses can appear in the same narrative.
Exercise 1: ¿El pretérito imperfecto o el pretérito indefinido?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
encontré, suspendimos, explicaba, organizó, enseñabas, venía, aprobé, escribían, venían, tenía
1.
Aprobar:
El año pasado ... el máster en biología.
(Last year I passed the master's degree in biology.)
2.
Venir, Encontrar:
Mientras ... del instituto, me ... con Ana.
(While I was coming from school, I met Ana.)
3.
Enseñar:
¿Tú también ... en la escuela primaria?
(Did you also teach at primary school?)
4.
Organizar:
El director ... un viaje muy divertido el año pasado.
(The director organised a very fun trip last year.)
5.
Venir:
Ellos ... todos los días en bicicleta.
(They used to come every day by bike.)
6.
Suspender:
Nosotros ... la prueba de matemáticas.
(We failed the maths test.)
7.
Tener:
La escuela secundaria ... un gimnasio muy grande.
(The secondary school had a very large gym.)
8.
Explicar, Escribir:
Mientras el profesor ..., los alumnos ... notas.
(While the teacher was explaining, the students were taking notes.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence according to the use of the imperfect past tense or simple past tense in each context.
1.
Error: 'jugué' is in simple past, not used for habitual actions; imperfect 'jugaba' should be used.
Error: 'fui' is in simple past indicating a punctual action, but the action is habitual; imperfect 'era' should be used.
2.
Error: 'tomaban' (imperfect) indicates a habitual action, but here it is a punctual event; simple past 'tomaron' should be used.
Error: 'explicaba' (imperfect) indicates an action in progress, but here it is a punctual event; simple past 'explicó' should be used.
3.
Error: 'sonaba' (imperfect) indicates an ongoing action, but the phone rang at a specific moment; simple past 'sonó' should be used.
Error: 'estudié' (simple past) indicates a finished action, but here it is an ongoing action; imperfect 'estudiaba' should be used.
4.
Error: 'yesterday' indicates a specific time, incompatible with 'always' and the imperfect; it should be simple past without 'always'.
Error: 'desayuné' is in simple past, incompatible with 'always' which indicates habit; imperfect 'desayunaba' should be used.