Preterito vs Imperfecto

No se pelean, se llevan bien

• They actually complement each other; they work together to create a well rounded account of the past.

• The preterit moves the story along (the events).

• The imperfect is for details (weather, time, descriptions).

Caperucita roja (“Little Red Riding Hood”) • “Había una vez” (“Once upon a time”) • “Cantaban los pájaros.” (the birds were

singing)• “Las nubes eran blancas y bellas.” (the clouds

were white and beautiful)• “Caperucita roja andaba por el bosque.”

(riding hood was walking though the forest)• Imperfect is used for background and details.

Siguiendo…

• “Caperucita!, gritó el lobo.”(“Red Riding hood”, yelled the wolf.)

• “¡El lobo!,” gritó. (“Wolf!” she cried!).

• Preterit is used for the actions thatmove the story along.

Note worthy…

• Your textbook likes to use both preterit and imperfect in the same sentence like this:

• Mientras yo estudiaba, mi amigo me habló y mi madre llegó.

• The imperfect is an action “already in progress” and the preterit is an “interupting action.”

estudiaba habló llegó