Spanish Past Tenses: Preterite, Imperfect, Present & Past Perfect

Preterite (Pretérito) - When to use

Actions with a clear beginning and end; One-time actions or sequences; Completed actions

Preterite -AR endings

é, aste, ó, amos, aron

Preterite -ER/-IR endings

í, iste, ió, imos, ieron

Imperfect (Imperfecto) - When to use

Ongoing actions; Repeated or habitual actions; No clear start or end; Context or description; Time

Imperfect -AR endings

aba, abas, aba, ábamos, aban

Imperfect -ER/-IR endings

ía, ías, ía, íamos, ían

Perfect Tenses Formula

haber + past participle

Present Perfect (he, has, ha, hemos, han + participle) - When to use

Past actions that continue into the present; Very recent actions; Actions relevant to the present

Present Perfect Example 1

He trabajado en Eckerd por 3 años → I have worked at Eckerd for 3 years (still work there)

Present Perfect Example 2

¿Has visto la película? → Have you seen the movie?

Past Participle Endings

-ar verbs: -ado; -er/-ir verbs: -ido

Irregular Past Participles

abrir → abierto; cubrir → cubierto; decir → dicho; escribir → escrito; hacer → hecho; morir → muerto; poner → puesto; romper → roto; volver → vuelto; ver → visto

Past Participles Used as Adjectives - Example 1

Hecho en México → Made in Mexico

Past Participles Used as Adjectives - Example 2

Una hamburguesa muy hecha → Well done burger

Past Perfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habían + participle) - When to use

Actions that had already happened before another past action

Past Perfect Example 1

Cuando llegué al campus, ya había tomado café → When I arrived at campus, I had already had coffee

Past Perfect Example 2

Antes de comenzar unidad 15, habíamos hecho unidad 13 y 14 → Before starting unit 15, we had done units 13 and 14

Preterite vs. Imperfect - Main Difference

Preterite is for completed actions with clear start/end; Imperfect is for ongoing or repeated actions with no clear boundaries

Preterite Example

Ayer estudié por tres horas → I studied for three hours (completed)

Imperfect Example

Estudiaba cada noche → I used to study every night (habitual)

Present Perfect vs. Past Perfect - Main Difference

Present Perfect links past actions to the present (still relevant); Past Perfect describes actions that happened before another past event

Present Perfect Example

He comido → I have eaten (recent, still relevant)

Past Perfect Example

Había comido antes de salir → I had eaten before leaving (before another past action)