Preterite vs. Imperfect

In this lesson, you will be learning how to differentiate between using the preterite and using the imperfect. Both of these tenses are used for actions that occurred in the past, so it can be kind of tricky when it comes to knowing which tense to use.

As a refresher, the preterite is used for actions that take place in the past, and have been completed. The imperfect is used for actions that take place in the past and have no definite beginning or end.

There are many different ways to learn and remember how to differentiate between preterite and imperfect, but personally, I like to use the acronym S.A.F.E. W.A.T.E.R.S.

Preterite: S.A.F.E.

• S - Specific instance(s) (He called me three times. = El llamó tres veces.)
  
• A - Action that interrupts an ongoing event (I was eating when my mom called. = Yo trabajaba cuando mi madre llamó.)
  
• F - Focus on the beginning or end of an action (It started to snow. = Empezó a nevar.)
  
• E - Enclosed amount of time (I went to school for thirteen years. = Fui a la escuela por trece años.)
  

Imperfect: W.A.T.E.R.S.

• W - Weather (It was snowing. = Estaba nevando.)
  
• A - Age (When I was five, I wanted to be a princess. = Cuando tenía cinco años, quería ser una princesa.)
  
• T - Time (It was seven in the evening. = Eran las siete de la noche.)
  
• E - Emotion (I was sad when she left. = Estaba triste cuando se fue.)
  
• R - Repetition (I used to walk to the park every day. = Yo caminaba al parque todos los días.)
  
• S - Setting or description (The sun was setting and the sky was pretty. = El sol se estaba poniendo y el cielo estaba bonita.)
  

Differentiating between preterite and imperfect takes a lot of practice, but with helpful memory tricks, you'll get the hang of it! If you would like to know how to conjugate in the preterite and imperfect, click here for the preterite and click here for the imperfect! If you have any questions about the preterite vs. imperfect, feel free to click here, make a post, and ask!