Preterite and Imperfect Verbs …the tricky past is present

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.

- Lesley P. Hartley,

The Go-Between

, 1953 Found on the internet 2/2011; edited by Profe

Uses for Preterite and Imperfect

Preterite Imperfect

C

completed actions: single actions or series of actions (She blinked.)

F

focus on beginning of an action (He started running.)

F

focus on an actions coming to an end (Class ended.)

P

physical or emotional states (We were happy.)

H

habitual actions (I used to eat pizza for lunch.)

A

old.)

T

age (She was 5 years time (It was 4 o’clock.)

C

crying.) continuing actions (I was

O

ongoing situations (We were living in Texas.)

W

weather (It was snowy.)

Other situations

 Something was happening (imperfect), when an action ‘interrupted’ it (preterite). 

The ongoing action is imperfect, and the action that ‘interrupts’ is preterite.

 In a long narrative.



The part that seems to be descriptive, background info is imperfect, while actions and specific events are preterite.

Practice

While I was walking in Florida, I saw a gator (el caimán).

Mientras caminaba en Florida, vi a un caimán.

(interruption of an ongoing action)

Practice

I left Florida, and went to Belize. It was sunny when I arrived! Sal í de Florida, y fui a Belize. Hacía mucho sol cuando llegué.

(action, weather, action)

Practice

It was four o’clock when my mom sent me an e-mail.

Eran las cuatro cuando mi madre me mandó un e mail.

She was sad, because she missed (extra ñar) me.

Estaba triste, porque me extra ñaba.

(time, action, emotion, emotion)

W e b R e s o u r c e

Practice

Preterite and Imperfect Practice http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/superhombre.html

Grammar Help

Preterite vs. Imperfect http://php.indiana.edu/~jsoto/PreteritoImperfecto.html

Online Verb Tutorial http://www.studyspanish.com/verbs/index.htm