Question

I have a question about the imperfect preterit when do you use it??

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Perfect preterite is used for recent past times like yesterday, last week, last month. It is used when an action is finished or it is done.
Imperfect preterite is used for remote past times like years ago, when I was a children or a baby.
More uses for imperfect preterite.


The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.

I used to walk every day.
Yo caminaba cada día.



The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.

I used to eat paella frequently.
Yo comía frecuentemente paella.



The imperfect tense is also used to "set the stage" for an event that occurred in the past.

We were coming home when we saw Juan.
Veníamos para casa cuando vimos a Juan.



Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.

Juan was feeling sick.
Juan estaba enfermo.



The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.

a menudo
often

a veces
sometimes

cada día
every day

cada año
every year

con frecuencia
frequently

de vez en cuando
from time to time

en aquella época
at that time

frecuentemente
frequently

generalmente
usually

muchas veces
many times

mucho
a lot

nunca
never

por un rato
for awhile

siempre
always

tantas veces
so many times

todas las semanas
every week

todos los días
every day

todo el tiempo
all the time

varias veces
several times

More uses for prefect preterite

The preterite tense is used to refer to actions that occurred at a fixed point in time.

I called at 1:00.
Llamé a la una.



The preterite tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that were performed a specific number of times.

I called you twice.
Te llamé dos veces.



The preterite tense is also used to refer to actions that occurred during a specific enclosed period of time.

He lived there for 5 years.
Él vivió allí por cinco años.



The preterite is also used for actions that are part of a chain of events.

I bought a hat, sat down on a bench and fell asleep.
Compré un sombrero, me senté en un banco y me dormí.



The preterite is also used for sudden changes of mood, feelings or opinions.

At that moment, I was not afraid.
En ese momento, no tuve miedo.



The preterite is frequently associated with phrases that pinpoint a particular occasion or specific time frame.

ayer
yesterday

ayer por la mañana
yesterday morning

ayer por la tarde
yesterday afternoon

anteayer
the day before yesterday

anoche
last night

desde el primer momento
from the first moment

después
afterwards

durante dos siglos
for two centuries

el año pasado
last year

el lunes por la noche
Monday night

el mes pasado
last month

el otro día
the other day

en ese momento
at that moment

entonces
then

esta mañana
this morning

esta tarde
this afternoon

hace dos días, años
two days, years ago

la semana pasada
last week

If the action is in the past, and you can determine precisely when it occurred, or how many times it occurred, then you will use the preterite.