El Préterito vs.

EL Imperfecto

Uses of the Preterite:

 Simple, ___________________ action that is totally ___________________ in the past (happened ___________________)
 ___________________ or ___________________ of an action
 Happened a ___________________ number of times
 Happened at or ___________________ a specific time
 ___________________ or ___________________
 Moved the story ___________________

Common Expressions Using the Preterite

Entonces Anoche
At that moment Last week
Aquella semana El 25 de Julio
Day before yesterday Suddenly
En febrero Finally
El lunes Una noche
One time During
Preterite formation

AR

ER/IR

Ser= ___________________; Ir = ___________________

Tener = ___________________

Dormir = ___________________

Uses of the Imperfect

 Repeated, ___________________ actions (“used to, ___________________, would”)

 ___________________ in the past
 ______________________________________ (you don’t know when they ___________________ or
___________________)
 Telling ___________________ in the past
 ___________________ in the past
 ___________________ or ___________________ state of being in the past
 o Verbs like: ___________________, conocer, ___________________, creer, ___________________, and tener are
usually imperfect
 Background ___________________
 Doesn’t move the story ___________________

Imperfect Cue Words

Generally Customarily
Constantemente A menudo
Always Sometimes
Frecuentemente Con frecuencia
Normally Generally
Every afternoon Regularmente
Cada semana From time to time
Imperfect Formation

AR

ER/IR

3 Irregulars: SER = ___________________. IR = ___________________. VER = ___________________

 If we want to say… was ___ing or used to do  If we want to say… did once, aka talked (with the
_____ed)
◦ We use the ___________________
◦ We will use the ___________________

 Something was ___________________, when an action ‘___________________’ it.

◦ The ongoing action is ___________________, and the action that ‘interrupts’ is ___________________.

◦ While I was walking in Florida, I saw a gator (el caimán).

◦ Mientras ___________________en Florida, ___________________a un caimán.

 In a long narrative.

◦ The part that seems to be descriptive, background info is ___________________, while actions and specific events
are ___________________.

◦ I left Florida, and went to Belize. It was sunny when I arrived!

◦ ___________________de Florida, y ___________________a Belize. ___________________mucho sol cuando

___________________.

Words that change meaning in the Imperfect and Preterite tenses

SABER= ___________________ (I) and ___________________ (P) NO QUERER=___________________ (I) and ___________________ (P)

CONOCER=___________________ (I) and ___________________ (P) PODER=___________________ (I) and ___________________ (P)

QUERER=___________________ (I) and ___________________ (P)