Preterite vs. Imperfect (Past Tenses)
The Imperfect Tense
Uses of the Imperfect:
To talk about actions that happened repeatedly in the past
I always closed the door.
Siempre cerraba la puerta.
To talk about actions that “used to” happen
You used to eat in the cafeteria.
Comías en la cafetería.
To describe people, places, things, and situations in the past (was/were)
Our house had five bedrooms.
Nuestra casa tenía cinco cuartos.
To talk about a past action or situation with no specific time period
There were many people in the house.
Había mucha gente en la casa.
To describe the situation when something else happened
We were walking in the garden when we saw Pedro.
Caminábamos en el jardín cuando vimos a Pedro.
To tell what time it was when something happened
It was four in the morning when I called.
Eran las cuatro de la mañana cuando llamé.
To tell what the weather was like when something happened
It was raining when the accident occurred.
Llovía cuando el accidente ocurrió.
To describe the physical, mental, and emotional states of a person or thing when something
happened
Many people wanted to help the family, but they did not know what to do.
Muchas personas querían ayudar a la familia, pero no sabían qué hacer.
Key phrases: generalmente/por lo general (generally), a menudo/muchas veces (often), de vez en
cuando (once in a while), todos los días (every day), siempre (always), and nunca (never)
