When talking or writing in the past tense, when should the preterite and when should the imperfect be used?
In Spanish, there are two past tenses; the preterite and the imperfect.
The preterite tense is used to describe a definitive, one-time action that has taken place and ended. For example, 'yesterday we ate apples'; 'ayer comimos manzanas'.
The imperfect tense is used to describe an action that took place over a period of time. In English, if the phrase 'used to' can be used to describe what is being said, the imperfect is used. For example, 'I used to go to school'; 'Yo iba a la escuela'.
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Como ya sabes, hoy en día hay muchos problemas medioambientales. ¿Qué haces en casa para proteger al medio ambiente? ¿Piensas que los ciudadanos son resonsables para la protección del medio ambiente, o sólamente los gobiernos y las grandes empresas?
Translate into English: Some humanitarian organisations have condemned the legislation and refuse to support these initiatives. They insist that Spain give more money to the Third World to improve living conditions.