Spanish: Imperfect- Preterite

1. -AR verbs (e.g., hablar - to speak):

• yo hablé (I spoke)

• tú hablaste (you spoke) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted habló (he/she/you spoke) [formal singular]

• nosotros/nosotras hablamos (we spoke)

• vosotros/vosotras hablasteis (you all spoke) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaron (they/you all spoke) [formal plural]

2. -ER verbs (e.g., comer - to eat):

• yo comí (I ate)

• tú comiste (you ate) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted comió (he/she/you ate) [formal singular]

• nosotros/nosotras comimos (we ate)

• vosotros/vosotras comisteis (you all ate) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes comieron (they/you all ate) [formal plural]

3. -IR verbs (e.g., vivir - to live):

• yo viví (I lived)

• tú viviste (you lived) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted vivió (he/she/you lived) [formal singular]

• nosotros/nosotras vivimos (we lived)

• vosotros/vosotras vivisteis (you all lived) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes vivieron (they/you all lived) [formal plural]

Some important irregular preterite verbs include:

• ser (to be) / ir (to go) – fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron

• tener (to have) – tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron

• hacer (to do/make) – hice, hiciste, hizo, hicimos, hicisteis, hicieron

1. Ser / Ir (to be / to go)

• yo fui

• tú fuiste

• él/ella/usted fue

• nosotros/nosotras fuimos

• vosotros/vosotras fuisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes fueron

2. Estar (to be)

• yo estuve

• tú estuviste

• él/ella/usted estuvo

• nosotros/nosotras estuvimos

• vosotros/vosotras estuvisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes estuvieron

3. Tener (to have)

• yo tuve

• tú tuviste

• él/ella/usted tuvo

• nosotros/nosotras tuvimos

• vosotros/vosotras tuvisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes tuvieron

4. Hacer (to do, to make)

• yo hice

• tú hiciste

• él/ella/usted hizo

• nosotros/nosotras hicimos

• vosotros/vosotras hicisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes hicieron

5. Poder (to be able to)

• yo pude

• tú pudiste

• él/ella/usted pudo

• nosotros/nosotras pudimos

• vosotros/vosotras pudisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes pudieron

6. Venir (to come)

• yo vine

• tú viniste

• él/ella/usted vino

• nosotros/nosotras vinimos

• vosotros/vosotras vinisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes vinieron

7. Decir (to say, to tell)

• yo dije

• tú dijiste

• él/ella/usted dijo

• nosotros/nosotras dijimos

• vosotros/vosotras dijisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes dijeron

8. Traer (to bring)

• yo traje

• tú trajiste

• él/ella/usted trajo

• nosotros/nosotras trajimos

• vosotros/vosotras trajisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes trajeron

9. Saber (to know)

• yo supe

• tú supiste

• él/ella/usted supo

• nosotros/nosotras supimos

• vosotros/vosotras supisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes supieron

10. Andar (to walk, to go)

• yo anduve

• tú anduviste

• él/ella/usted anduvo

• nosotros/nosotras anduvimos

• vosotros/vosotras anduvisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes anduvieron

11. Querer (to want, to love)

• yo quise

• tú quisiste

• él/ella/usted quiso

• nosotros/nosotras quisimos

• vosotros/vosotras quisisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes quisieron

12. Dar (to give)

• yo di

• tú diste

• él/ella/usted dio

• nosotros/nosotras dimos

• vosotros/vosotras disteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes dieron

13. Ver (to see)

• yo vi

• tú viste

• él/ella/usted vio

• nosotros/nosotras vimos

• vosotros/vosotras visteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes vieron

14. Caber (to fit)

• yo cupe

• tú cupiste

• él/ella/usted cupo

• nosotros/nosotras cupimos

• vosotros/vosotras cupisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes cupieron

15. Conducir (to drive)

• yo conduje

• tú condujiste

• él/ella/usted condujo

• nosotros/nosotras condujimos

• vosotros/vosotras condujisteis

• ellos/ellas/ustedes condujeron

1. -AR verbs (e.g., hablar - to speak)

• yo hablaba (I spoke, I was speaking)

• tú hablabas (you spoke, you were speaking) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted hablaba (he/she/you spoke, he/she/you were speaking)

• nosotros/nosotras hablábamos (we spoke, we were speaking)

• vosotros/vosotras hablabais (you all spoke, you all were speaking) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaban (they/you all spoke, they/you all were speaking)

2. -ER verbs (e.g., comer - to eat)

• yo comía (I ate, I was eating)

• tú comías (you ate, you were eating) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted comía (he/she/you ate, he/she/you were eating)

• nosotros/nosotras comíamos (we ate, we were eating)

• vosotros/vosotras comíais (you all ate, you all were eating) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes comían (they/you all ate, they/you all were eating)

3. -IR verbs (e.g., vivir - to live)

• yo vivía (I lived, I was living)

• tú vivías (you lived, you were living) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted vivía (he/she/you lived, he/she/you were living)

• nosotros/nosotras vivíamos (we lived, we were living)

• vosotros/vosotras vivíais (you all lived, you all were living) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes vivían (they/you all lived, they/you all were living)

Irregular verbs in the imperfect tense:

There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense, and they don't follow the regular conjugation patterns. These are:

1. Ser (to be)

• yo era (I was)

• tú eras (you were) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted era (he/she/you were)

• nosotros/nosotras éramos (we were)

• vosotros/vosotras erais (you all were) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes eran (they/you all were)

2. Ir (to go)

• yo iba (I went, I was going)

• tú ibas (you went, you were going) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted iba (he/she/you went, he/she/you were going)

• nosotros/nosotras íbamos (we went, we were going)

• vosotros/vosotras ibais (you all went, you all were going) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes iban (they/you all went, they/you all were going)

3. Ver (to see)

• yo veía (I saw, I was seeing)

• tú veías (you saw, you were seeing) [informal singular]

• él/ella/usted veía (he/she/you saw, he/she/you were seeing)

• nosotros/nosotras veíamos (we saw, we were seeing)

• vosotros/vosotras veíais (you all saw, you all were seeing) [informal plural, used mostly in Spain]

• ellos/ellas/ustedes veían (they/you all saw, they/you all were seeing)

Key Uses of the Imperfect Tense:

• Describing habitual actions in the past: Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días. (When I was a child, I played soccer every day.)

• Describing actions that were ongoing or in progress: Estaba leyendo cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was reading when the phone rang.)

• Describing background events: Era una noche oscura y llovía. (It was a dark night, and it was raining.)

• Telling age in the past: Cuando tenía diez años, me gustaba leer. (When I was ten years old, I liked to read.)

• Telling time in the past: Eran las tres de la tarde. (It was 3 in the afternoon.)

Preterite

The preterite is used for actions that are:

1. Completed actions: Something that happened and ended at a specific point in the past.

   • Example: Ayer comí pizza. (Yesterday, I ate pizza.)

2. Specific events: Actions that are seen as single events with a clear beginning and end.

   • Example: Fuimos al cine. (We went to the movies.)

3. Actions that happened at a definite time: When an event is mentioned in relation to a specific time.

   • Example: Hace dos años viajé a España. (Two years ago, I traveled to Spain.)

4. Sequential actions: When one action happens right after another.

   • Example: Me levanté, me duché y salí. (I got up, I showered, and I left.)

Imperfect

The imperfect is used for:

1. Ongoing actions: Things that were happening over a period of time or were habitual.

   • Example: Siempre comíamos pizza los viernes. (We always ate pizza on Fridays.)

2. Background information: Descriptions, emotions, age, or time in the past, often setting the scene.

   • Example: Era un día soleado. (It was a sunny day.)

3. Repetitive or habitual actions: Something that regularly or repeatedly happened in the past.

   • Example: Cada verano íbamos a la playa. (Every summer, we went to the beach.)

4. Actions without a clear beginning or end: When you focus on the process or the ongoing nature of the action.

   • Example: Estudiaba cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was studying when the phone rang.)

A Quick Summary:

• Preterite: Used for completed actions and specific events in the past.

• Imperfect: Used for ongoing, repeated, or descriptive actions in the past.