Is the imperfect always used in these situations?
I seem to remember that the imperfect is always used when speaking of age, weather, and time in the past, but I am not positive. Is this correct? Gracias
Hector tenía quince años. Hector was fifteen years old.
Hacía frío. It was cold.
Eran las dos de la tarde. It was two o'clock in the afternoon.
5 Answers
¡Hola!
To learn more about the imperfect, click on the link below, which will take you to the explanation of the imperfect from this web site.
so the imperfect is used when an action is repeated ( for example "we fished during the summers") for one thing. It is also used for weather and telling time, like "tenía calor" or "eran las tres". Another thing is describing characteristics in the past, like saying someone was short or nice. Also, the imperfect is used for thoughts, feelings and beliefs unless they are extremely brief, where the preterite should then be used. Or, if two things happen at the same time the imperfect is always used. The final use is for narrating a story in the past. the preterite is only used for actions that happened once and never happened again, for example "he walked", not "he walked many times".
The imperfect tense describes past actions without definite beginning or end. It is perfect for times when it is not specific or an action that happened over and over in the past.
E.g. De niño, jugaba con muñecas.-As a child, I played the dolls.
For more info and examples of the imperfect, follow this link and read lesson 9.
The imperfect is used as a past participle, but more for describing. Iba a comprar el vestido, pero no me quedaba cuando probarlo. Describing the action of what was going on, I was going to go buy a dress, but it didn't fit me when I tried it on. Like if your telling something that happened to you when you were little or a Thanksgiving or Christmas you describe it, that's when you use the imperfect, but when there is an interruption you use the past participle. Cuando era pequeña tenía los ojos azules, o era morena. Does that make sense?
could you please give some sentences in example?
