Preterite vs. Imperfect Translations
I was eating when she arrived."
What tense do you use for "was eating" and why?
Imperfect ("comía") — It describes an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted.
Name one reason to use the preterite tense.
Any one of: Completed action in the past / Specific point in time / Action with a clear beginning and end / Series of completed actions
Conjugate hablar (to speak) in the preterite for "yo"
**Hablé** (I spoke)
Conjugate hablar (to speak) in the imperfect for "yo"
**Hablaba** (I used to speak / I was speaking)
Name one time expression that signals the preterite.
Any one of: ayer (yesterday) / el año pasado (last year) / hace dos días (two days ago) / una vez (once) / de repente (suddenly)
He spoke to me yesterday."
Which tense and what is the Spanish translation?
Preterite: "Él me habló ayer." — It's a completed action at a specific time in the past.
Name one reason to use the imperfect tense.
Any one of: Ongoing or habitual action / Describing a state or condition / Background action / Repeated action with no specific end / Age, time, or weather descriptions
Conjugate comer (to eat) in the preterite for "ellos/ellas"
**Comieron** (They ate)
Conjugate ser (to be) in the imperfect for "nosotros"
**Éramos** (We were) — Highly irregular!
Name one time expression that signals the imperfect.
Any one of: siempre (always) / a menudo (often) / cada día (every day) / mientras (while) / cuando era niño/a (when I was a child)
"They used to go to the park every summer."
What tense and Spanish translation?
Imperfect: "Ellos iban al parque cada verano." — It describes a habitual or repeated action in the past.
Why would you use the imperfect to describe "It was raining"?
Because it describes a state or condition in the past without a specific endpoint; rain was happening in the background.
Conjugate tocar in the "yo" form in the preterite.
**toqué** (I played)
Conjugate tener (to have) in the imperfect for "ellos/ellas"
**Tenían** (They had) — Regular -ir/-er imperfect ending
Which tense do you use after "de repente"?
Preterite — "de repente" (suddenly) indicates an abrupt, completed action.
"I was tired, so I didn't go to the party."
Identify both tenses and translate.
Imperfect + Preterite:
"Estaba cansado, así que no fui a la fiesta." —
"was tired" (ongoing state) and
"didn't go" (completed action).
When telling a story, why might you use both tenses together?
The imperfect sets the scene/background, while the preterite moves the action forward with specific events.
Conjugate ir (to go) in the preterite for "tú"
**Fuiste** (You went)
Note: "ir" and "ser" have identical preterite forms.
Conjugate ir (to go) in the imperfect for "tú"
**Ibas** (You used to go / You were going) — Irregular
What phrase typically introduces an imperfect description: "Cuando era niño" or "Cuando fui niño"? Why?
"Cuando era niño" (imperfect) —
It describes a state/period of time, not a specific event.
"While I was studying, my brother called three times."
What tenses, why, and full translation?
Imperfect + Preterite:
"Mientras estudiaba, mi hermano llamó tres veces." —
"was studying" (imperfect—ongoing background) and
"called" (preterite—specific, completed action).
Explain the difference: "Comía pizza" vs. "Comí pizza"
"Comía pizza" (imperfect) = I used to eat pizza / I was eating pizza (habitual or ongoing).
"Comí pizza" (preterite) = I ate pizza (completed action at a specific time).
Conjugate hacer (to do/make) in the preterite for "él/ella"
**Hizo** (He/She did/made)
Irregular stem: hic- → hizo
Conjugate ver (to see) in the imperfect for "yo"
**Veía** (I used to see / I was seeing) —
Irregular: v- stem in imperfect
Identify the tense trigger in this sentence: "Todos los días, ella caminaba al parque." Which tense and why?
Imperfect (caminaba) — "Todos los días" (every day) signals a habitual, repeated action.