Preterite vs. Imperfect
(El pretérito versus el imperfecto)
[If you need to review the forms of the preterite and imperfect, click here]
The difference between the preterite and the imperfect is one of the most diffcult aspects of Spanish grammar for English speakers to understand, because it is a difference that simply does not exist in English. We will look at a few different ways of understanding this difference, but the basic difference is that using the preterite puts the focus on the beginning or the end of a past action or state (usually the end) while the imperfect focuses on the "middle" of a state or action, or on its ongoing nature. This basic difference means that the preterite is generally used to talk about completed actions in the past. One very common use of the preterite is to narrate a series of actions that happened one after the other: Araceli llegó a casa, se sentó en el sofá, sacó un libro de su mochila, y empezó a leer. The preterite is also used to talk about actions that happened at a certain time, or a certain number of times: Salí de mi casa a las 9 en punto. The imperfect, on the other hand, emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action or a state, and is often used in descriptions: Brillaba el sol, y los niños jugaban felices en la plaza. Era un día típico en el pueblo. When the imperfect is used to describe various actions, it indicates that they were taking place simutaneously (contrast this with the series of actions using the preterite above): Mientras Aracelí estudiaba en el sofá, su compañera de cuarto preparaba café y escuchaba la radio. |