Preterite and Imperfect The difference The PRETERITE is
- Slides: 6
Preterite and Imperfect The difference
The PRETERITE is used to talk about PAST ACTIONS that: 1) Happened one time Alicia estuve en la biblioteca durante la clase ayer. (Alicia was in the library during class yesterday. ) 2) Show the beginning or the end of an action Yo empecé a llorar cuando oí que mi abuelo murió. (I began to cry when I heard that my grandfather died. )
3) Interrupts the on-going action Mi madre veía la televisión cuando yo me el brazo. rompí (My mother was watching tv when I broke my arm. ) Words that indicate PRETERIT Ayer yesterday Anteayer Una vez one time Pasado(a) last / past El otro día Un día today Hoy El (lunes) Anoche on (Monday) En (mayo) day before yesterday last night the other day one day in (May)
The IMPERFECT is used to talk about PAST ACTIONS that: 1) Used to happen Mi familia y yo ibamos a la playa cada verano. (My family and I used to go to the beach summer. ) 2) Were happening Ella hablaba cuando Sr. Mabie entró. (She was talking when Mr. Mabie entered. ) 3) Describe people and things Mi abuela era una persona muy bonita y simpática. My grandmother was a very pretty and nice person.
4) Tell location Mi casa estaba en Durham. (My house was in Durham. ) 5) Tell date/time of day Era el 15 de octubre. (It was October 15. ) Hacía sol. 6) Describe the weather (It was sunny. ) 7) Describe emotional states Yo estaba muy emocionado cuando yo bailaba. (I was very excited when I used to dance. ) 8) Tell age Yo tenía veinte años. I was twenty years old.
Words that indicate IMPERFECT Cada Mientras Siempre Los (lunes) Todos los días each while always On (Mondays) everyday Muchas veces many times Con frequencia frequently A menudo often Generalmente generally De vez en cuando from time to time
