AP Spanish Study Sheet: El Pretérito vs. El Imperfecto

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1 Page 1 of 5 Figure It Out! Yo estaba estudiando cuando de repente y sin aviso, mi madre abrió la puerta y entró a mi cuarto. Le pregunté que quería. Ella me dijo que había preparado una merienda para mí. Como yo tenía mucha hambre me la comí rápidamente. Pero yo también tenía sed. Estaba por pedirle agua. Pero antes de que pudiera decir una palabra me dio un vaso de agua. Me lo bebí inmediatamente. Cuando me volví para agradecerle, ya había salido. The previous paragraph about this student's pleasant experience with his or her mother uses two verb tenses. Which ones? What did you notice about the patterns of when one was used and the other not, and vice-versa? Introduction You know how two people will remember the same car crash differently? Well, Spanish has two different past tenses to help them out. And depending on which tense they use, the preterit or the imperfect, their stories will be very different. If one uses the preterit, the crash is done, over with. If they use the imperfect, watch out! The car was still moving, it never fully stopped, and it may still be coming! Read on to find out how to form these tenses and check out more differences between the two. Preterit vs. Imperfect: A Textual Representation Both Spanish and English use the past tense, but Spanish has two different conjugations to demonstrate different aspects. English shows the different aspects using different modals. Most verbs can be conjugated in either tense depending on the meaning. What makes this distinction more challenging in Spanish than in English is that there are six unique conjugations for each verb in both of these past tenses in Spanish while there are usually only one or two in English. For example, in Spanish, there are six unique conjugations for the verb hablar in preterit tense (hablé, hablaste, habló, hablamos, hablasteis, hablaron), while there is just one ("talked") for the English equivalent "to talk." Also, in Spanish, there are five unique conjugations of the verb estar in the imperfect tense (i.e. estaba, estabas, estaba, estábamos, estabais, estaban), while there are just two ("was" and "were") for the English equivalent "to be." So, in order to correctly distinguish between these two past tenses in Spanish you need to make sure that you know how to conjugate any verb in either tense and review when each tense is used. Here we will focus on the second of these two points. Generally speaking, the preterit is used for actions in the past that are seen as completed during a specific period of time. That is, it tells us SPECIFICALLY when an action took place. Use of the preterit tense implies that the past action had a definite beginning and definite end. For example: Ellos comieron por hora y media. (They ate for an hour and a half.) It is also important to realize that the beginning and the end of the completed action may not always be clearly stated. For example:

2 Page 2 of 5 Mi madre cocinó toda la mañana. (My mother cooked during the whole morning.) Generally speaking, the imperfect is used for actions in the past that are NOT seen as completed during a specific period of time. It tells us IN GENERAL when an action took place. Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did NOT have a definite beginning or a definite end. For example: Mi abuela hacía la compra todos los días. (My grandmother used to do her shopping every day.) The following table reviews the main uses of both the preterit and the imperfect tenses. MAIN USES OF THE PRETERIT AND IMPERFECT TENSES The PRETERIT is used: The IMPERFECT is used: To describe the situation, give background To state the beginning of a past action. information, or paint the scene in which the narration takes place. To describe how people, things, or conditions To state the end of a past action. were or what they were like. To recount a continuous action that "sets the To narrate past actions that occurred (began stage" which is interrupted by another action and ended) during a specific period of time. (in the preterit) that advances the narration. To narrate past actions that are viewed as To describe an emotional, physical, or single events. mental state or condition. To narrate past actions that were part of a To recount continuous, repeated, or habitual chain of events. actions over an indefinite period of time. To narrate past actions that were repeated a To tell time in the past. specific number of times. To show a change in an emotional, physical, or mental state or condition, but not a To state someone's age in the past. description of it. To anticipate a future action from the point of view of the past. Preterit vs. Imperfect: A Graphical Representation For some, a graphical representation is a better way to remember when to use the preterit and when to use the imperfect. So here is another way to look at the differences between these two past tenses. If you can draw a box and lines, then you can remember when to use the preterit and when to use the imperfect. That way, you'll be well on your way to using these tenses correctly. Remember that when someone uses the preterit or the imperfect, they are telling us something that occurred in past during a specific period of time. That specific period of time can be a moment, an hour, a day, a month, a year, etc. That time can be represented with

3 Page 3 of 5 a box. The following image represents that time period and shows the main differences between these two past tenses This box represents an event or time of reference (i.e. the past) to which a person might refer. It s like the car crash you need to report to the police. Notice that there is time both before and after the crash, but the box represents the event itself. In other words, the box is what you need to write down in the report to the police. Lines 1, 2, and 3 represent the major uses of the preterit. Line 1 illustrates the end of an action that terminated within the time of reference. Line 2 illustrates the beginning of an action that originated within the time of reference. Line 3 illustrates an action that both originated and terminated within the time of reference. So the preterit refers to the beginning, end, or the entirety of an event. In other words, the preterit is used to narrate the past. If you look back at the table entitled "Main Uses of the Preterit and Imperfect Tenses," can you see which line is represented by which uses of the preterit? If you can, then you're well on your way to having a better grasp of the difference between the preterit and the imperfect. The imperfect is slightly different. Line 4 represents the major use of the imperfect tense. Line 4 illustrates an action that neither originated nor terminated within the specific time of reference but continues through it. In other words, the imperfect refers to an event or state during its occurrence, recounts habitual events, recounts events that repeat, or describes a characteristic or state (even time).

4 Page 4 of 5 Preterit vs. Imperfect: Key Words and Phrases Some words and phrases indicate specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the preterit. Other words and phrases indicate repetitive, vague or non-specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the imperfect. Some Key Words & Phrases Usually Used with the Preterit Some Key Words & Phrases Usually Used with the Imperfect anoche last night a menudo often ayer yesterday a veces sometimes ayer por la mañana yesterday morning cada día every day ayer por la tarde anteayer yesterday afternoon the day before yesterday cada semana cada mes every week every month de repente suddenly cada año every year durante + (time period) for + (time period) con frecuencia frequently el otro día the other day de vez en cuando from time to time en ese momento at that moment en aquella época at that time entonces then frecuentemente frequently esta mañana this morning generalmente usually esta tarde this afternoon mientras while el (año) pasado last (year) muchas veces many times la (semana) pasada last (week) mucho a lot hace + (time period) (time period) + ago nunca por lo general por un rato siempre tantas veces todas las (semanas) todos los (días) todo el tiempo varias veces never in general for a while always so many times every (week) every (day) all the time several times

5 Page 5 of 5 Note that this list is by no means comprehensive. Many other words and phrases, especially adaptations and extensions of what is listed above, can trigger the use of one past tense over the other.