Preterite vs Imperfect: when to use each
The preterite vs imperfect distinction trips up almost every Spanish learner. This guide makes it clear with simple rules and real examples.
Once you move beyond the present tense, the biggest challenge in Spanish grammar is knowing when to use the preterite (pretérito indefinido) and when to use the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto). Both describe the past — but in very different ways.
Think of it as a photograph vs a painting
The preterite is like a photograph: it captures a specific, completed moment. The imperfect is like a painting: it sets the scene, describes the background, or shows something ongoing. In a story, you'd use the imperfect to establish the setting and the preterite to narrate the events.
Use the preterite for…
Completed actions at a specific time: Comí una pizza anoche. (I ate a pizza last night.) The action is finished and the time is defined.
A sequence of events: Entré, saludé a todos y me senté. (I entered, greeted everyone, and sat down.) Each action completed before the next began.
Actions that interrupted an ongoing state: Leía cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was reading when the phone rang.) The ringing — the interrupting event — goes in the preterite.
Time signal words: ayer, anteayer, el lunes pasado, hace dos años, de repente, entonces.
Use the imperfect for…
Ongoing or habitual past actions: Cuando era niño, comía cereales cada mañana. (When I was a child, I ate cereal every morning.) No clear beginning or end — just a habit.
Describing the background or scene: Era una noche oscura. Llovía. Las calles estaban vacías. (It was a dark night. It was raining. The streets were empty.) All scene-setting, all imperfect.
Telling someone's age in the past: Tenía ocho años cuando aprendí a nadar. (I was eight years old when I learned to swim.)
States of mind or feelings: Estaba nervioso antes del examen. (I was nervous before the exam.)
Time signal words: siempre, normalmente, a veces, todos los días, cuando era joven, antes, de niño/a.
Using both in the same sentence
Native speakers regularly mix both tenses in the same sentence. The imperfect sets the stage, the preterite delivers the action: Dormía (imperfect) cuando llegó (preterite) mi padre. — I was sleeping when my father arrived.
The verbs that change meaning
A handful of key verbs have different English translations depending on which tense is used. Saber in the preterite means "found out" (supe), while in the imperfect it means "knew" (sabía). Conocer in the preterite means "met" (conocí), in the imperfect it means "knew/was acquainted with" (conocía). Querer in the preterite means "tried to" (quise), in the imperfect it means "wanted" (quería). No querer in the preterite means "refused" (no quise).