what is the best way to remember the difference between the preterit and the imperfect?

Question

I am in spanish 102, I haven't had spanish for over 6yrs and my college wouldn't let me go into spanish 101 so I'm stuck in 102. On my exams I can't seem to get the difference between the two tenses! Please Help!

Answer 1

I understand your confusion -- I still have trouble sometimes with deciding between using the preterit and the imperfect tenses.

Here are a few lessons that may help you:

Preterit vs. Imperfect I

Preterit vs. Imperfect II

Remember: when telling age and time you always use the imperfect. For example, cuando tenía cinco años ..... cuando era niña....Era las once cuando....

Answer 2

Here is a general rule of thumb that will help in a pinch: The preterite answers the question "what happened?" It can be an action or something intangible. The imperfect, on the other hand, tells you the background information (in other words - just the way things were), or what was happening or what used to happen. Examples: "Yo tuve una idea" (What happened? an idea ocurred to me - I had an idea). "El niño empezó a llorar cuando se cayó" (what happened? he fell and he started to cry). "Hubo rachas de 50 kph anoche. " (what happened? There were gusts of wind at 50 km per hr last night). Conversely, in the imperfect: "Ella era una madre excelente." (that's just the way she was - she was an excellent mother,). Yo vivía en España antes de mudarme a Venezuela. (I used to live - or I lived - in Spain before moving to Ven.) Can you use both preterite and imperfect in the same sentence? Yes! Examples: "Hacía un calor sofocante y por eso me tomé una limonada" (What happened? I drank a lemonade. What was the background? It was beastly hot) "Ellos tenían veinte años cuando se casaron" (what happened? they got married. What was the background? They were 20 yrs old). ... Hopefully this has helped. Be sure to check out the lessons that Marianne suggested, but these guidelines are a good rule of thumb if you need something quick.

• I struggle with the two past tense verbs myself. Thanks for the insight. - rgrove36 Oct 21, 2009