Preterite or imperfect?
Think of a film: the imperfect paints the scene, the preterite tells you what happened in it.
Theory
Imperfect = background, habits, things in progress. Preterite = events that happened and finished.
Imperfect: the scene
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | Hacía sol. | It was sunny. |
| Where / how | Estaba en casa. | I was at home. |
| Age | Tenía diez años. | I was ten. |
| Habit | Siempre comíamos juntos. | We always ate together. |
Preterite: the action
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Llamó mi madre. | My mum called. |
| Finished | Fuimos a la playa. | We went to the beach. |
| One-off | Un día conocí a Pedro. | One day I met Pedro. |
| Set time | Ayer comimos juntos. | Yesterday we ate together. |
Interrupted actions
Llovía cuando salí. = It was raining when I went out.
Estaba en casa cuando llamaste. = I was at home when you called.
Imperfect signal words
siempre, todos los días, de niño, mientras, antes = always, every day, as a child, while, before
Preterite signal words
ayer, un día, de repente, una vez, en 2010 = yesterday, one day, suddenly, once, in 2010
Two at the same time
Mientras yo cocinaba, él leía. = While I was cooking, he was reading.
Both imperfect: both in progress.
conocía vs conocí
Conocía a Ana. = I knew Ana.
Conocí a Ana. = I met Ana.
sabía vs supe
Sabía la verdad. = I knew the truth.
Supe la verdad. = I found out the truth.
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