When should you use the preterite tense and when should you use the imperfect tense in Spanish
Both the preterite and imperfect tenses are past tenses in Spanish but they are used in separate ways.
Imperfect Tense
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Habitual actions
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"ing" e.g I was walking
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what you were doing when interrupted by something else.
Preterite Tense
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Actions at a given moment or time
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past completed action
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actions that interrupt another action
Both tenses can be used in the same sentence e.g I was walking when I heard a sound - Caminaba cuando escuché un sonido.
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Related Spanish GCSE answers
All answers ▸When would you use the verb "ser" and when would you use "estar", the two different verbs for "to be"
How do I know when to use the preterite and imperfect tenses?
Read the below passage. Is the following statement true (verdad) or false (falso)? "Maria es de Inglaterra pero ahora vive en Madrid."
Conjugate 'hacer' in the preterite tense