Past Tenses

Spanish has two main simple past tenses: Pretérito (preterite) and Imperfecto (imperfect). Using the right one is crucial.

When to Use Which

Quick test: Can you add "used to" or "was ___-ing"? → Imperfecto

Pretérito (Preterite)

Regular -AR Verbs: hablar

Regular -ER/-IR Verbs: comer, vivir

Irregular Preterite Verbs

Ser and Ir (identical in preterite):

Fui al cine.: I went to the cinema. (ir)
Fue un buen día.: It was a good day. (ser)

Dar and Ver:

Hacer:

Common Irregular Preterites (Stem Changes)

These have special stems and share the same endings:

*-jeron (not -ieron) for stems ending in j

Shared endings for irregular stems:

Preterite Uses

1. Completed single actions:

Ayer compré un libro.
(Yesterday I bought a book.)

2. Actions with specific time/duration:

Estudié por tres horas.
(I studied for three hours.)

Viví en España dos años.
(I lived in Spain for two years.)

3. Sequence of events:

Me levanté, desayuné y salí.
(I got up, had breakfast, and left.)

4. Beginning or end of an action:

Empezó a llover.
(It started to rain.)

La película terminó a las diez.
(The movie ended at ten.)

Imperfecto (Imperfect)

Regular -AR Verbs: hablar

Regular -ER/-IR Verbs: comer, vivir

Only Three Irregular Verbs!

Ser:

Ir:

Ver:

Imperfect Uses

1. Habitual past actions (used to):

Cuando era niño, jugaba mucho.
(When I was a child, I used to play a lot.)

2. Ongoing actions (was/were + -ing):

Dormía cuando llamaste.
(I was sleeping when you called.)

3. Descriptions in the past:

Era un día soleado.
(It was a sunny day.)

La casa era grande y bonita.
(The house was big and beautiful.)

4. Age, time, weather in the past:

Tenía veinte años.
(I was twenty years old.)

Eran las tres de la tarde.
(It was three in the afternoon.)

Hacía frío.
(It was cold.)

5. Background/setting:

Llovía y no había nadie en la calle.
(It was raining and there was nobody in the street.)

6. Simultaneous ongoing actions:

Mientras yo estudiaba, él veía televisión.
(While I was studying, he was watching TV.)

Preterite vs. Imperfect Together

Often used together: imperfect sets the scene, preterite moves the action:

Dormía (impf) cuando sonó (pret) el teléfono.
(I was sleeping when the phone rang.)

Caminaba (impf) por la calle cuando vi (pret) a María.
(I was walking down the street when I saw María.)

Hacía (impf) sol y hacía (impf) calor. De repente, empezó (pret) a llover.
(It was sunny and hot. Suddenly, it started to rain.)

Meaning Changes

Some verbs change meaning between preterite and imperfect:

Conocía a Juan.: I knew Juan.
Conocí a Juan ayer.: I met Juan yesterday.

Sabía la verdad.: I knew the truth.
Supe la verdad.: I found out the truth.

Quería ir.: I wanted to go.
Quise ir pero no pude.: I tried to go but I couldn't.

Time Expressions

Typically with Preterite

Typically with Imperfect

Practice

Ayer fui al supermercado y compré frutas.
(Yesterday I went to the supermarket and bought fruit.)

Cuando era niño, vivía en México.
(When I was a child, I lived in Mexico.)

Estaba en casa cuando llegó mi amigo.
(I was at home when my friend arrived.)

El año pasado viajamos a España.
(Last year we traveled to Spain.)

Siempre comíamos juntos los domingos.
(We always used to eat together on Sundays.)

¿Qué hacías cuando te llamé?
(What were you doing when I called you?)