Talking About the Past: Comparing the Preterite and Imperfect Indicative Tenses

When talking about the past in Spanish, you have to distinguish between talking about a completed action, for example, yo llegué tarde -- I arrived late, or an action that was ongoing, for example, yo llegaba tarde -- I used to arrived late/I always arrived late.


Completed actions use the preterite tense and ongoing or habitual actions require the imperfect tense ("imperfect" means "incomplete").  Compare the following sentences:

  • Ayer fui a la tienda --Yesterday, I went to the store (one completed action = preterite)
    De niña, iba a la tienda después del colegio -- As a child, I went (used to go) to the store after school (habitual, repeated action without a definite end = imperfect)


The imperfect is used to narrate ongoing background events, while the preterite describes actions completed within those ongoing events:

  • Ayer, cuando iba (imperfect) a la tienda, saludé (preterite) a mi amiga --Yesterday, when I was going (imperfect) to the store, I said hello (preterite) to my friend

    Mientras hablaba (imperfect) con mi amiga, sonó (preterite) mi móvil -- While I was talking (imperfect) with my friend, my mobile/cell phone rang (preterite)

    Cuando contesté (preterite) la llamada, mi marido me recordó (preterite) que los niños estaban (imperfect) esperando su cena -- When I answered (preterite) the call, my husband reminded (preterite) me that the children were (imperfect) waiting for their dinner


Remember, the preterite tense describes a completed action, while the imperfect tense describes ongoing, habitual or background actions or events.
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