What is a trigger word?
Words or phrases that help someone to know when/whether to use preterite or imperfect.
Él tenía 20 años.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it imperfect?
age
Ayer, yo fui al supermercado y compré leche.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it preterite?
actions / events completed in the past
You knew me well, because you always used to buy me roses on Valentine’s Day.
Conjugate the verb (conocer) in the correct tense
conocías
jugar in the preterite, 1st person singular
jugué
What do trigger words for preterite have in common?
They are all a time in the past related.
Ayer nevaba mucho.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it imperfect?
weather
Esa mañana, mi hermano se despertó, pensó que iba a tener un buen día.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it preterite?
isolated action (that only happened once)
In 2006, astronomers found out that Pluto was not a planet.
Conjugate the verb (saber) in the correct tense
supieron que
ir in the imperfect, 3rd person plural
iban
They all happen multiple times.
Juan era muy alto.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it imperfect?
physical description
Hace un año, hubo una tormenta invernal que fue un desastre en Texas.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it preterite?
preterite of hay = hubo (events, weather, something took place)
That day, all the children managed to recite the alphabet by memory.
Conjugate the verb (poder) in the correct tense
pudieron
decir in preterite, 3rd person plural
dijeron
What is an imperfect trigger word?
A menudo, siempre, usualmente, etc.
Los alumnos estaban nerviosos.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it imperfect?
mental state
Mientras las chicas nadaban en la piscina, el perro brincó encima de ellas.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it preterite?
interrupting an action that was already happening
I didn’t want to call you because I knew you were sleeping.
Conjugate the verb (querer) in the correct tense
quería
ver in imperfect, 1st person plural
veíamos
What is an imperfect trigger word?
Ayer, una vez, anoche
Tú siempre jugabas con los trenes de juguetes.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it imperfect?
habitual action
Primero, el muchacho vio que el ladrón estaba en la casa. Luego, el entró la casa.
What is the rule this sentence follows to make it preterite?
I was 14 years old when I took biology.
Conjugate the verb (querer) in the correct tense
tenía
ser in preterite, 2nd person singular
fuiste