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

2407 Views

See similar Spanish GCSE tutors

Related Spanish GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do you know when a word is masculine or feminine?


¿Cómo podemos distinguir entre los usos del tiempo imperfecto y el pretérito?


How do I say I don't like maths because its difficult?


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


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences