Preterite vs. Imperfect

Spanish has two past tenses, the preterite and the imperfect. The guidelines in this lesson will help you select the appropriate tense.

The preterite is used to describe completed actions in the past.

Pasó una semana. - A week went by.
Hablé con el director. - I spoke with the director.
Hice mi tarea. - I did my homework.

The imperfect is used for ongoing past actions. These actions tend to be interrupted by another action.

Caminaban por la calle cuando empezó a llover.
They were walking down the street when it began to rain.

Juan se bañaba cuando llegaste.
Juan was taking a shower when you arrived.

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