The contrast
Preterite: presents an event as completed or bounded. Imperfect: presents background, repeated past behaviour, descriptions or an action in progress without focusing on its endpoint.
Ayer compré un coche. — completed event.
Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol. — past state + habitual action.
Llovía cuando salimos. — background in progress + completed event.
Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol. — past state + habitual action.
Llovía cuando salimos. — background in progress + completed event.
Think story foreground and background
The imperfect often paints the scene; the preterite moves the story forward. Hacía frío, la gente caminaba deprisa y de repente empezó a nevar.
Practice
- Cuando yo ___ (ser) pequeño, ___ (vivir) en Cádiz.
- Anoche ___ (ver) una película.
- Mientras Ana ___ (cocinar), Pedro ___ (llegar).
- Todos los veranos nosotros ___ (ir) a Granada.
Answers: 1 era, vivía · 2 vi · 3 cocinaba, llegó · 4 íbamos.
Frequently asked questions
Is ayer always preterite?
It strongly favours completed-event narration, but context and intended viewpoint still matter.
Is imperfect just 'used to'?
No. 'Used to' is one useful English equivalent, but imperfect also describes background, states and actions in progress.
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