What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect tense?

The preterite tense is used to describe a completed action in the past. For example, I ate a cake, comí una torta. However the imperfect tense is used for an action repeated in the past. For example, every morning last week, I ate cake, comía una torta.

Another way of looking at this: while I was watching TV, the phone rang. Mientras que veía la TV, sonó il telefono. The phone ringing interrupted a longer action of watching TV.

BV
Answered by Briony V. Spanish tutor

2523 Views

See similar Spanish GCSE tutors

Related Spanish GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the subjunctive and when should it be used?


Which tenses do I need to know for my Spanish i/GCSE exam?


What is the difference between 'ser' and 'estar'?


What is the difference between estar and ser?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning