A2 · Past tenses
Pretérito o imperfecto
Spanish splits the past in two, and the split is not about how long ago something happened or how long it lasted. It is about what the sentence is doing. The indefinido moves the story forward one finished event at a time; the imperfecto holds it still and describes what was around those events. Almost every past paragraph uses both, alternating, and learning to hear that alternation matters more than memorising rules.
When to use the indefinido
- A single completed action
- A closed period of time
- A sequence of events
- Something that interrupts
- A countable number of times
When to use the imperfecto
- Description and background
- Repeated habits in the past
- Age, time and weather
- Actions still in progress
- Two things happening at once
Indefinido: what happened
Single, completed actions. The events you could put on a timeline.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| él / ella | habló | comió | vivió |
| nosotros | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| ellos | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
- Salí de casa a las siete.I left home at seven.
- Tomé un taxi.I took a taxi.
- Llegué a las ocho y cinco.I arrived at five past eight.
Imperfecto: how things were
Description, background, repeated habits, ages, weather, time, and actions still in progress when something else happened.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | hablabas | comías | vivías |
| él / ella | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros | hablábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| ellos | hablaban | comían | vivían |
- Tenía una entrevista a las ocho.I had an interview at eight.
- El bus no venía.The bus was not coming.
- Todos miraban el reloj.Everyone was looking at the clock.
Only three irregulars in the imperfecto
After the endings, the imperfecto is the easiest tense in Spanish. Three verbs break the pattern and that is all.
| ser | ir | ver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era | iba | veía |
| tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| él / ella | era | iba | veía |
| nosotros | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| ellos | eran | iban | veían |
They work together
The imperfecto sets the scene and the indefinido interrupts it. This alternation is what makes a story sound Spanish rather than translated.
- Esperaba en el paradero cuando apareció el bus.I was waiting at the stop when the bus appeared.
- Llovía mucho, así que tomé un taxi.It was raining hard, so I took a taxi.
Camera and photograph
A useful image: the indefinido is a series of photographs, each one complete. The imperfecto is the video running behind them. Salí, tomé un taxi, llegué are three photographs. Llovía, no había buses, la gente miraba el reloj is the footage they sit in.
- Llovía cuando salí.It was raining when I left. · video, then photo
- Mientras esperaba, apareció un taxi.While I was waiting, a taxi appeared.
Time markers that tip the choice
These are tendencies, not laws. Todos los días trabajé doce horas is correct if you are counting a finished stretch of days.
| Usually indefinido | Usually imperfecto |
|---|---|
| ayer, anoche | siempre, normalmente |
| el lunes, en 2019 | todos los días, cada semana |
| de repente, entonces | mientras, cuando era niño |
| una vez, dos veces | a menudo, a veces |
Verbs whose meaning changes
A small group means one thing as a state and another as an event. This is not an exception; it follows directly from the logic above.
| Verb | Imperfecto | Indefinido |
|---|---|---|
| saber | sabía — I knew | supe — I found out |
| conocer | conocía — I knew (a person) | conocí — I met |
| querer | quería — I wanted | quise — I tried |
| no querer | no quería — I did not want to | no quise — I refused |
| poder | podía — I was able | pude — I managed |
| tener | tenía — I had | tuve — I got, I received |
Two past actions at once
Both in the imperfecto if they run in parallel. One in the indefinido if it cuts the other short.
- Yo cocinaba y ella veía la tele.I was cooking and she was watching TV. · parallel
- Cocinaba cuando se fue la luz.I was cooking when the power went out. · interrupted
Side by side
One event or a habit
Finished or in progress
Verbs that change meaning
Knowing a person
Examples
- Salí de casa a las siete.I left home at seven. (one finished event)
- Tenía una entrevista a las ocho.I had an interview at eight. (background)
- El bus no venía.The bus was not coming. (an ongoing situation)
- Al final tomé un taxi.In the end I took a taxi. (the event that resolves it)
Mistakes to avoid
Ayer era un día difícil.
Ayer fue un día difícil.
A day that is over and framed as a whole is indefinido.
Cuando era joven, fui todos los veranos a Ayacucho.
Cuando era joven, iba todos los veranos a Ayacucho.
Todos los veranos marks a habit, so imperfecto.
Mientras comí, sonó el teléfono.
Mientras comía, sonó el teléfono.
Mientras introduces the ongoing action, which takes imperfecto.
Watch out
The same verb can take either, and the meaning changes: supe means I found out, sabía means I already knew.
Try it
Cuando ___ niño, jugaba fútbol todos los días.
Ayer ___ un taxi porque el bus iba lleno.
___ las siete cuando salí de casa.
Mientras ___ el reloj, apareció el bus.
La semana pasada ___ tres entrevistas.
___ a Marta en 2019, en una fiesta.
No ___ ir, pero al final fui.