Preterite v. Imperfect

Weather conditions in the past.

I

Describing the way people, places, and things used to be.

I

Describing actions that take place at a specific period in the past or an enclosed amount of time.

P

Describing a specific instance of something that took place.

P

Describing age in the past.

I

Actions in the past that can be habitual or repetitive.

I

Action that interrupts ongoing events.

P

Setting/Description (takes place in a story).

I

Focus on beginning or ending of an action.

P

When you want to say that you did or finished something.

P

When describing time.

I

When you want to say you used to do something or was/were + -ing verbs.

I

Describing emotions in the past.

I