imperfect v. preterite
What's the best way to remember the difference between imperfect and preterite??
4 Answers
I use this little trick to remember. It may not be correct in all situations, but it works well for me most of the time.
preterite - "I did it." It's a "perfect past" action. It started and it ended. (Don't let this trick get you confused with the (past perfect tense.)
imperfect - "I used to do it," or "I was doing it." This is an "imperfect" action. It started, but it may or may not have finished.
The Conjugate tool on this site has a handy little thing. When you get the list of tenses, move your cursor to the title of the tense, like pererite or imperfect, and it will give you an example of the English sense of the tense.
Daniela provides good examples, but Chileno makes a good point.
When we use imperfect with preterite in the same sentence, imperfect is not for noting complete or incomplete, although preterite does indicate a completed action. Imperfect in these cases provides a time-frame in which other completed actions of the past take place, ie: Anoche andaba (imperfecto) por la calle Juárez cuando vi (pretérito) un choque de tres coches. (Last night I was walking on Juárez street when I saw three cars crash). It´s obvious that all actions are completed.
El año pasado cuando trabajaba (imperfecto) en el banco, nos robaron (pretérito) dos veces. (Last year when I worked in the bank, we were robbed two times). The robbing is completed, but if I still work in the bank cannot be determined exactly).
Daniela, that's not completely correct.
To state that "Imperfect" means "incomplete" ,therefore the action is incomplete in the past.
So if I say " I was walking last night..." is that incomplete in the past and does it mean I am still walking?
I would go with winky's explanation, it's a simpler explanation, and simply works just right for me. You know I am a simpleton. right? :D
The "preterite" means "action completed in the past. I walked a mile yesterday. "Anduve una milla ayer." "Preterite" comes from a Greek word meaning "complete"
"Imperfect" means "incomplete" ,therefore the action is incomplete in the past.
Yo leía un libro cuando el ladrón entró por la ventana. (Pero le di un karatazo y cayó inconsciente. I was reading a book ( I didn't get a chance to finish) when the thief entered by the window. (But I gave him a Karate blow and he fell unconscious.) Notice that di and cayó are in the preterite. Those actions were complete in the past.
Imperfect is used to translate the English:
"I was walking" "Andaba" or even "I used to----"
"I used to walk two miles every day" Andaba dos millas cada día.
Imperfect is used to describe: Ella era alta, morena y muy bonita. She was tall dark and very pretty.
It's also used to tell time. "Eran las dos de la tarde" "It was two o'clock in the afternoon."
This is by no means complete, but it will give you an idea. You should get a good college textbook such as "Panorama". It has great explanations on subjects such as this.
Buena suerte
