Imperfect or Preterite in Spanish Grammar

Just here for the exercises? Click here.

Imperfect vs. preterite

The imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto) and the preterite tense (pretérito indefinido) are both Spanish past tenses with different functions.

The imperfect refers to an action or state that was ongoing, repeated or in progress at a specific moment in the past. The preterite expresses one-off actions and sequential events in the past.

Learn the difference between the imperfect and preterite tenses in Spanish grammar with Lingolia’s tense comparison, then put your knowledge to the test in the interactive exercises.

Example

Ayer se rompió el jarrón favorito de mi abuela Margarita. Yo dormía plácidamente en el sofá como cada tarde cuando mi gato saltó de pronto sobre la estantería y empujó el jarrón con la cola. El jarrón se hizo añicos en el suelo y el ruido me despertó.

Sin pensarlo, busqué la escoba, recogí todos los trozos y los tiré a la basura. Mi abuela llegó a casa un par de horas más tarde y se dio cuenta en seguida.

Le dije que lo sentía muchísimo. Yo estaba muy preocupada porque sabía que era su jarrón favorito. Para mi sorpresa, no se enfadó. Al contrario, miró al gato de reojo, que se relamía las patas tranquilamente en un rincón y nos observaba, y se rió.

«Menos mal, ¡estaba harta de ese jarrón!»

How to conjugate the imperfect in Spanish

Conjugate the imperfect tense by removing the infinitive endings (-ar/-er/-ir) and adding the following endings to the stem:

-ar
hablar		 -er
aprender		 -ir
vivir
hablaba aprendía vivía
hablabas aprendías vivías
hablaba aprendía vivía
hablábamos aprendíamos vivíamos
hablabais aprendíais vivíais
hablaban aprendían vivían

Note that the endings for -er and -ir verbs are the same.

Check out our page dedicated to the Spanish imperfect to learn about this tense’s conjugation in detail.

How to conjugate the preterite tense in Spanish

To conjugate the preterite tense in Spanish grammar, we remove the infinitive endings (-ar/-ir/-er) and add the following endings to the stem:

-ar
hablar		 -er
aprender		 -ir
vivir
hablé aprendí viví
hablaste aprendiste viviste
habló aprendió vivió
hablamos aprendimos vivimos
hablasteis aprendisteis vivisteis
hablaron aprendieron vivieron

Note that the endings for -er and -ir verbs are the same.

Go to our page all about the preterite tense in Spanish grammar to learn more about its conjugation.

When to use the imperfect vs. the preterite

As the imperfect and the preterite are both past tenses, it’s not always clear when to use which one.

In addition to the specific signal words that trigger each tense (see below), a rough comparison to English past tenses can also be helpful:

  • the imperfect is comparable to the past progressive in English (was doing, was going, was talking …)
  • the preterite is comparable to the simple past in English (did, went, talked …)

Take a look at the example sentence below:

Example:
Yo dormía plácidamente en el sofá cuando mi gato saltó de pronto sobre la estantería.
translation: I was sleeping soundly on the sofa when my cat suddenly jumped onto the bookshelf.

Note: these are not 1-1 comparisons and won’t be applicable to every sentence you come across, but they are a good starting point.

Imperfect

The imperfect tense expresses:

    • an action that was in progress at a specific point in the past
      Example:
      Yo dormía plácidamente en el sofá como cada tarde.I was sleeping soundly on the sofa like every evening.
    • simultaneously occurring past actions
      Example:
      El gato se relamía las patas tranquilamente y nos observaba.The cat was quietly licking its pores and watching us.
    • an action that was already in progress when another action (expressed in the preterite) occurred
      Example:
      Yo dormía plácidamente en el sofá cuando mi gato saltó de pronto sobre la estantería.I was sleeping soundly on the sofa when my cat suddenly jumped onto the bookshelf.
    • a repeated past action or habit with no clear start and end (= used to)
      Example:
      Mi abuela ponía flores nuevas cada domingo en este jarrón.My grandma used to put fresh flowers in this vase every Sunday.
    • the circumstances or feelings related to a situation in the past
      Example:
      Yo estaba muy preocupada porque sabía que era su jarrón favorito.I was really worried because I knew it was her favourite vase.

Preterite

The preterite tense expresses:

    • one-off past actions
      Example:
      Ayer se rompió el jarrón favorito de mi abuela Margarita.Yesterday my grandma Margarita’s favourite vase broke.
    • a sequence of past actions
      Example:
      Sin pensarlo, busqué la escoba, recogí todos los trozos y los tiré a la basura.Without thinking, I reached for the broom, collected all the pieces and threw them in the bin.
    • actions that occurred in the middle of another action that was already in progress (expressed in the imperfect)
      Example:
      Yo dormía plácidamente en el sofá cuando mi gato saltó de pronto sobre la estantería y empujó el jarrón con la cola.I was sleeping soundly on the sofa when my cat suddenly jumped onto the bookshelf and broke the vase with his tail.

Signal words

Signal words can help us choose between similar tenses like the imperfect and the preterite:

Signal words for the imperfect:

  • siempre
  • todos los … (días, sábados)
  • cuando era joven
  • cada vez que …
  • mientras
  • poco a poco

Signal words for the preterite:

  • ayer
  • el año pasado
  • la semana pasada
  • en … 2010
  • de repente

The verbs conocer and saber in the imperfect and the preterite

The verbs conocer and saber have different meanings depending on whether they appear in the preterite or the imperfect.

Verb Imperfect Preterite
saber

to know a fact

Example:
Sabía que era su jarrón favorito.I knew it was her favourite vase.

to realise something

Example:
Supe que estaba en problemas.I knew that I was in trouble.
conocer

to be familiar with someone/something

Example:
Mi abuela conocía bien a su gato.My grandma knew her cat well.

to meet

Example:
Conocí a su gato cuando lo adoptó.I met her cat when she adopted him.