Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish

Using the 2 Simple Past Tenses of Spanish English has one simple past tense, but Spanish has two: the preterite and the imperfect. The two past tenses refer in different ways to what has happened. They are called the simple past tenses to distinguish them from verb forms that use an auxiliary verb, such as has left in English and ha salido in Spanish. In other words, the simple past tenses use a single word. Although the English past in a sentence such as he ate can be conveyed in Spanish using either the preterite (comià ³) or the imperfect indicative (comà ­a), the two tenses dont mean the same thing. In general, the preterite is used when speaking of completed action, indicating the verbs action had a clear end. The imperfect is used to refer to an action that doesnt have a specific ending. Here are some more specific uses to clarify the differences between the two tenses. Note that the imperfect is frequently translated in ways other than the English simple past. Key Takeaways: Spanish Simple Past Tense Although English has one simple (single-word) past tense, Spanish has two, and they usually arent interchangeable.In general, the preterite tense is used for actions that took place over a clear period of time.In general, the imperfect tense is used for actions whose conclusion isnt irrelevant or unspecified. Uses for the Preterite Tense The preterite (often spelled preterite) is used to tell of something that happened once: Fuimos ayer a la playa. (We went to the beach yesterday.)Escribà ­ la carta. (I wrote the letter.)Compramos un coche azul.  (We bought a blue car.) It can also tell of something that happened more than once but with a specific end: Fui ayer seis veces a la tienda. (I went to the store six times yesterday.)Leyà ³ el libro cinco veces. (He read the book five times.) Finally, the preterite can indicate the beginning or end of a process: Tuvo frà ­o. (He got cold.)El huracn se terminà ³ a las ocho. (The hurricane was finished at 8.) Uses for the Imperfect Tense On the other hand, the imperfect tells of past habitual or repeated actions where theres no definite end specified. It is often translated as used to verb, would verb, or was/were verb -ing. Iba a la tienda. (I used to go to the store. Note that it is possible that the verbs action continues today.)Leà ­amos los libros. (We would read the books. The English would is sometimes used for the imperfect, as it is here, but it also is sometimes used for the conditional tense.)Lavaban las manos. (They were washing their hands.)Escribà ­a muchas cartas. (I wrote many letters.) The imperfect can describe a condition, mental state, or state of being from the past: Habà ­a una casa aquà ­. (There used to be a house here.)Era està ºpido. (He was stupid.)No te conocà ­a. (I didnt know you.)Querà ­a estar feliz. (He wanted to be happy.)Tenà ­a frà ­o. (He was cold.) To describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time: Se pondrà ­a la ropa de deporte. (She was putting on her athletic clothing.)Cuando Josà © tocaba el piano, Marà ­a comà ­a. (While Josà © was playing the piano, Marà ­a was eating.) To indicate time or age in the past: Era la una de la tarde. (It was 1 p.m.)Tenà ­a 43 aà ±os. (She was 43 years old.) Other Distinctions Between the Past Tenses The imperfect is frequently used to provide the background for an event that is described using the preterite. Era [imperfect] la una de la tarde cuando comià ³ [preterite]. (It was 1 p.m. when she ate.)Yo escribà ­a [imperfect] cuando llegaste [preterite]. (I was writing when you arrived.) Because of the way the two tenses are used, some verbs can be translated using differing words in English depending on the tense in Spanish. This is especially true when the preterite is used to indicate the beginning or end of a process. Conocà ­ [preterite] al presidente. (I met the president.) Conocà ­a [imperfect] al presidente. (I knew the president.)Tuvo [preterite]  frà ­o. (He got cold.) Tenà ­a [imperfect] frà ­o. (He was cold.)Supe [preterite] escuchar. (I found out how to listen.) Sabà ­a [imperfect] escuchar. (I knew how to listen.) Some of the sentences in this lesson could be stated in either tense with a slight change of meaning. For example, while Escribà ­a muchas cartas would be the typical way of saying I wrote many letters, as that is something that typically would take place over an unspecified period of time, one also might say Escribà ­ muchas cartas. But the meaning of the sentence, not readily translatable without a context to English, would change to indicate that the speaker was referring to a specific point in time. For example, if you were talking about writing many letters while you were on a particular trip, you might use the preterite form.