10.2

The Preterite and the Imperfect in Spanish

Overview

  • The preterite and the imperfect are two past tenses in Spanish.

  • Important to understand that these tenses are not interchangeable.

  • The choice between the preterite and the imperfect depends on both the context and the point of view of the speaker.

Usage of the Preterite vs. Imperfect

The Preterite

  • Used to express actions that are viewed by the speaker as completed actions.

    • Example: Sandra se rompió la pierna. (Sandra broke her leg.)

    • Example: Fueron a Buenos Aires ayer. (They went to Buenos Aires yesterday.)

  • Used to express the beginning or end of a past action.

    • Example: La película empezó a las nueve. (The movie began at nine o'clock.)

    • Example: Ayer terminé el proyecto para la clase de química. (Yesterday I finished the project for chemistry class.)

  • Used to narrate a series of past actions or events.

    • Example: La doctora me miró los oídos, me hizo unas preguntas y escribió la receta. (The doctor looked in my ears, asked me some questions, and wrote the prescription.)

    • Example: Me di con la mesa, me caí y me lastimé el pie. (I bumped into the table, I fell, and I injured my foot.)

The Imperfect

  • Used to describe an ongoing past action with no reference to its beginning or end.

    • Example: Sandra esperaba al doctor. (Sandra was waiting for the doctor.)

    • Example: El médico se preocupaba por sus pacientes. (The doctor worried about his patients.)

  • Used to express habitual past actions and events.

    • Example: Cuando era joven, jugaba al tenis. (When I was young, I used to play tennis.)

    • Example: De niño, Eduardo se enfermaba con mucha frecuencia. (As a child, Eduardo used to get sick very frequently.)

  • Used to describe physical and emotional states or characteristics.

    • Example: La chica quería descansar. Se sentía mal y tenía dolor de cabeza. (The girl wanted to rest. She felt ill and had a headache.)

    • Example: Ellos eran altos y tenían ojos verdes. (They were tall and had green eyes.)

    • Example: Estábamos felices de ver a la familia. (We were happy to see our family.)

Combination of Preterite and Imperfect

  • The preterite and the imperfect often appear in the same sentence, where the imperfect describes an ongoing action while the preterite describes an action that interrupts it.

    • Example: Miraba la tele cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was watching TV when the phone rang.)

    • Example: Felicia leía el periódico cuando llegó Ramiro. (Felicia was reading the newspaper when Ramiro arrived.)

Narrative Characteristics

  • The imperfect is used to provide background information such as time, weather, and location.

  • The preterite indicates the specific events that occurred.

    • Example narrative: Eran las dos de la mañana y el detective ya no podía mantenerse despierto. Se bajó lentamente del coche, estiró las piernas y levantó los brazos hacia el cielo oscuro. (It was two in the morning, and the detective could no longer stay awake. He slowly stepped out of the car, stretched his legs, and raised his arms toward the dark sky.)

    • Additional narrative: La luna estaba llena y no había en el cielo ni una sola nube. De repente, el detective escuchó un grito espeluznante proveniente del parque. (The moon was full, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Suddenly, the detective heard a piercing scream coming from the park.)

Common Indicators for Tenses

Common words with the Preterite

  • ayer (yesterday)

  • anteayer (the day before yesterday)

  • una vez (once)

  • dos veces (twice)

  • tres veces (three times)

  • el año pasado (last year)

  • de repente (suddenly)

Common words with the Imperfect

  • de niño/a (as a child)

  • todos los días (every day)

  • mientras (while)

  • siempre (always)

  • con frecuencia (frequently)

  • todas las semanas (every week)

Historical Example: Vaccine Against Malaria

  • In 1986, Dr. Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, a Colombian physician, developed the first synthetic vaccine to combat malaria.

  • The disease appeared to have been eradicated for decades in many parts of the world, but cases of malaria started increasing again shortly after the vaccine was completed.

  • In May 1993, Dr. Patarroyo transferred the patent for the vaccine to the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of Colombia.

  • Pharmaceutical companies pressured the WHO as they wanted the vaccine, but their pressures were unsuccessful.

  • In 1995, Dr. Patarroyo and the WHO agreed to maintain the initial agreement: the vaccine remained the property of the WHO.

Practice Exercise

Choose the Preterite or the Imperfect to Complete the Story

  1. (Fueron/Eran) las doce.

  2. (almorcé/almorzaba) con Tomás al mediodía.

  3. (Hubo/Había) mucha gente en la calle.

  4. A las doce y media, Tomás y yo (entramos/entrábamos) en el restaurante Tárcoles.

  5. El camarero (llegó/llegaba) inmediatamente con el menú.

  6. Nosotros (empezamos/empezábamos) a leerlo.

  7. Yo (pedí/pedía) el pescado.

  8. De repente, el camarero (volvió/volvía) a nuestra mesa.

  9. Y nos (dio/daba) una mala noticia.

  10. Desafortunadamente, no (Llovió/Llovía) mucho cuando.

  11. Por eso Tomás y yo (tuvieron/tenían) más pescado.

  12. (decidimos/decidíamos) comer en otro lugar.

  13. Así que, (salimos/salíamos) del restaurante.

  14. Esta vez, (regresamos/regresábamos) al restaurante Tárcoles.

  15. Yo (pedí/pedía) arroz con pollo.