(RG) - Grammar Review: El Pretérito y El Imperfecto Lesson

Grammar Review: El Pretérito y El Imperfecto

The preterite and imperfect are simple tenses of the indicative that refer to a past action or state. Sometimes they may have the same English translation, but they have different meanings or implications. 

Preterit vs Imperfect chart. The preterite tense is used to describe something that happened once. The imperfect tense is used to describe habitual or repeated actions in the past. Example sentences follow. The preterite tense is used to describe something that happened more than once but had a specific end. The imperfect tense is used to describe a condition or state of being in the past. The imperfect tense is used to describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time. The imperfect tense is used to indicate time or age in the past. The imperfect tense is used to describe a person or place.

 

Use Context Clues  

When reading or listening to Spanish, you can use context clues to figure out whether a verb phrase is in the preterite or imperfect tense. Certain temporal phrases are associated with either the preterite or the imperfect. You can also learn these phrases to help you express yourself better.

 

Phrases That Hint Toward the Preterite

Phrases That Hint Toward the Imperfect    

ayer: yesterday  

anoche: last night  

después: afterward  

durante dos semanas: for two weeks  

el mes pasado: last month  

el otro día: the other day  

en ese momento: at that moment  

entonces: then  

esta tarde: this afternoon  

hace dos días: two days ago  

a menudo: often  

a veces: sometimes  

cada día: every day  

muchas veces: many times  

nunca: never  

siempre: always  

todos los días: every day  

todo el tiempo: all the time  

varias veces: several times    

 

 

View the following presentation, "Preterite vs Imperfect." Take notes as you view the material as you will be responsible for the content. Be sure your speakers are turned up! 

Preterite and Imperfect Review

Please complete the following activity.

 

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