When to use which past tense

Question

As I advance in Spanish, I find that one of the most dificult things for me is to know when to use which of the two past tenses. I have some idea but I never really get it completely. What I have read has helped a little but doesn't seem to really help much. Does anybody have some simple explanations or advice?

Answer 1

Comparing The Preterit (Pretérito) and The Imperfect (Imperfecto)

Preterit – Pretérito (Past - Completed)	│	Imperfect – Imperfecto (Past - Continuous)
-----------------------------------------------------	│	-------------------------------------------------------------
This tense expresses an action in the past that was completed at some time in the past. The specific past actions will have been performed (1)- at a fixed point in time (2)- a specific number of times in the past (3)- during a specific amount of time in the past	│	This tense expresses an action or a state of being in the past that was ongoing or continuous in the past. The action(s) in the past will have these qualities (1)- they took place repeatedly in the past (2)- they were ongoing or continuous in the past (3)- they occurred over an extended period of unspecified time in the past
	│

This is a basic comparison. There is certainly more detail and in particular, regarding the imperfect. For the additional more detailed information and examples, see Paralee Whitmire's Reference Pages by following these links
For the preterit ----> El Pretérito , and
For the Imperfect ----> El Imperfecto

You will also find that our teacher Paralee Whitmire explains the Preterite and the Imprefect in her lesson 2.10, found here ----> Preterite & Imperfect

• Nice answer Moe. - Goyo Jan 9, 2011

Answer 2

Hi Zachary, and welcome to the forum,

Type imperfect preterite in the search box and you will find two pages of threads dealing with this topic.