LA - Learning Tasks: Gramática (Lesson)

Learning Tasks: Gramática

At this point, you should be very familiar with the conjugations of the preterite and imperfect tenses. Click on this link and download "Summary of Spanish Two Past Tenses" to use as a study guide. Links to an external site.  For further reinforcement of these tenses, you may want to review videos and presentations from previous modules.

El Pretérito y El Imperfecto

In many Spanish language forums, participants share that the Preterite and Imperfect seem to be the most difficult tenses to master in Spanish. There are two past tenses in Spanish and their uses seem to be the issue with many learners. Most students agree, that determining when to use preterite and imperfect is the most difficult task they have to face studying Spanish. They understand the conjugations and the irregular formations of each; but, applying when to use each is extremely difficult for them.

First things first. Your priority is to learn all the Preterite and Imperfect formations/forms. Once you master the forms, knowing how to conjugate the preterite and the imperfect tenses in Spanish, your next step should be deciding when to use them correctly. The use of the tenses depends on what kind of meaning you wish to convey. Your knowledge of Spanish vocabulary and its meaning are key elements in helping you to determine which past tense to apply. We reiterate, vocabulary and conveying meaning are vital in helping the student choose which of the two tenses to use. The choice depends on your perspective: how do you view the action or state of being?

Keep in mind, if you are familiar with all aspects of the present tense, its foundation is your building block as you continue to the many other forms you will encounter as you acquire the language.

Below is a summary of the two tenses studied in previous modules in this course. It is imperative that you put theory to practice to help acquire and understand your second language.

How to Use the Imperfect Tense and the Preterite Tense

The Imperfect Tense and The Preterite Tense are both ways to talk about actions that happened in the past. Learning when to use which tense is one of the more frustrating things a Spanish student has to do because we just don't think the same way in English. We have only one past tense conjugation.

 

What's the time frame of this action? Clearly, fishing took place in the past. However, we don't know anything more about the situation than that, do we? For example: did the fishing occur once or many times?

To get across to the reader or listener important information such as when or how often this event occurred we have to add some extra information:

In the first sentence, we know not only when this action happened but that it only happened once. In the second we know this event happened repeatedly.

Most of the decision to use either the preterite or the imperfect boils down to the difference in the two example sentences above. In Spanish, information as to whether the event happened once or went on for a while is "built-in" to the conjugation you choose.

Let's start with the imperfect...

When to Use the Imperfect Tense

Repeated, Usual, Habitual Actions

We mainly use the imperfect tense when talking about repeated, usual, or habitual actions in the past:

In the first example, we use the imperfect jugaba (rather than the preterite jugué) because we see this happening repeatedly, over the course of many Saturdays. In the second we use the imperfect llegaba (rather than the preterite llegó) because we know from the context that this was a usual activity. And in the third, we use preparaba (rather than preparó) because this was a habitual action that happened often.

Words such as "always," "frequently," "generally," "never," "often," "usually," "used to," and "would" clue us into the fact that we should use the imperfect.

Background Information

We use the imperfect to describe the setting or provide background information such as what people, places, or conditions were like at some unspecified time in the past:

 

Times and Ages

We also use the imperfect to state the time and people's ages in the past:

Ongoing Actions

Additionally, use the imperfect to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress at some point in the past. This is roughly equivalent to using the imperfect progressive. In these sentences, when the action began or ended is unimportant, it just happened to be occurring at that moment:

 

Translating the Imperfect

Because in English we only have one past tense conjugation, we often have to resort to adding additional words to get our exact meaning across. Consider these sentences. All three could be translated the same way in Spanish (and vice versa):

When to Use the Preterite Tense

Single, Completed Actions

If the imperfect is primarily used to describe actions that happened over and over again, what is the preterite used for? You're right! To talk about single, completed actions that took place at specific points in time:

Since the actions referred to in these examples are one-time events, we choose the preterite. In the first case, we use the preterite jugué (instead of jugaba) because the playing we're referring to only occurred once, on Saturday. Likewise, in the second case, we choose the preterite llegó (instead of llegaba) because we're referring to one arrival, yesterday. And lastly, mother prepared breakfast once, this morning.

Time cues such as length of time, or a specific year, season, month, day, or time of day indicate that we should be using the preterite.

What if...?

What if you have both a repeated action and a definite timeframe? Use the preterite when a completed action is repeated a specific number of times. For example:

What if there isn't a definite timeframe in the sentence, but it's implied by context? A preterite sentence doesn't necessarily have to include a time reference (as in the second sentence below):

The Imperfect vs. The Preterite

Differences in Meaning

This might be a good time to talk about why it's called the "imperfect" tense. It doesn't have anything to do with quality, but rather the idea that the action is "incomplete;" it doesn't have a specific beginning or end. Because we're using the imperfect and not attaching a definite timeframe to these actions, we're indicating that when they began and when (or if) they ended is unknown or unimportant. For example:

"Marcos was feeling sick." (We don't know exactly when he started feeling bad or if he's now feeling better.) "The plaza was decorated for the party." (Who knows for how long?) "Esmeralda was supposed to return home." (We're not sure when or if she did.) "The weather was cold." (When or if the weather changed isn't important.)

On the other hand…

Let's look at the same examples, this time with preterite conjugations and definite timeframes. Now we are explicitly stating when the action started, lasted, or ended, and therefore indicating that the timeframe is important. Because of this, we are subtly indicating that a change has occurred:

 

"Last week Marcos got sick." (Marcos started feeling sick last week.) "The plaza was decorated for one month." (But it isn't anymore.) "Esmeralda had to return home on Tuesday." (And she did.) The weather was cold two days ago." (But it's much warmer now.)

Note: Due to their meanings, some verbs tend to be conjugated in the imperfect tense and some verbs are more naturally preterite. Because the verb soler means "to usually" or "to be in the habit of" it cannot be used in the preterite.

Due to the differences in emphasis between a preterite and imperfect conjugation, some verbs will have significant differences in meaning when translated. Hopefully, by now these variations will make some sense to you. Notice how the preterite tends to signal a change:

 

The Imperfect & the Preterite Together

It's not at all uncommon to have both preterite and imperfect conjugations in the same sentence. In fact, it happens a lot. The imperfect (or the imperfect progressive) is used to explain what was happening when a preterite action occurred:

 

 

Era, Fue, Estaba, Estuvo? How Do I Say "Was" in Spanish?

Translating "was" into Spanish is doubly difficult because not only do we need to think about which tense to use, imperfect or preterite, but we also need to choose which verb to use, ser or estar. All the basic rules for both ser/estar and imperfect/preterite still hold true, we just need to consider them together:

Some examples:

 

Under normal circumstances, you're more likely to need imperfect forms of ser and estar so when in doubt, use the imperfect. If you're talking about something with a specific beginning, duration, or end, switch to the preterite.

Note: The difference between era and fue (and other ser conjugations) is a very subtle one and often has more to do with the speaker's attitude toward the circumstances than it does with grammar. Era and fue are largely interchangeable.

For Visual Learners

If you're still having trouble with the imperfect and the preterite, sometimes it can be advantageous to imagine a timeline. On the right side is the present (we'll ignore the future for now). Toward the left is the past.

If you know with any certainty when the action happened, you should be able to pinpoint on the timeline (with an arrow) exactly when it happened. For example:

On the other hand, if you find it difficult to pin down, you may have to indicate only an indefinite range (with a squiggly line) of the action. For example:

So, what good does this do us? Whenever you would draw an arrow you should use the preterite; whenever you would draw a squiggly line you should use the imperfect. Like this:

One more example:

This sentence has two verbs that will both go on the timeline: "Esperanza broke her arm" and "Esperanza was a girl." One of the verbs was a one-time event, the other was a situation with an indefinite time frame so we'll use both an arrow and a squiggly line.

Therefore:

Imperfect vs. Preterite: A Final Note

One of the reasons learning when to use the preterite or the imperfect is so difficult is that it's not an exact science. Sometimes you can switch from one tense to the other without substantially changing the meaning of the sentence. Other times you'll completely change the meaning. There may be times when reading Spanish that you won't be able to tell why the author used the conjugation he or she did because it won't seem to follow any of the rules. Just roll with it. As you get more and more used to reading Spanish you'll be able to pick up on the subtle nuances that let you know why a verb is conjugated the way it is.

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.