Preterite and Imperfect Verbs the tricky past is

Preterite and Imperfect Verbs …the tricky past is present The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. - Lesley P. Hartley, The Go-Between, 1953

Uses for Preterite and Imperfect Preterite Imperfect C completed actions: single actions or series of actions F focus on beginning of an action F focus on an actions coming to an end P physical or emotional states H habitual actions A age T time C continuing actions O ongoing situations W weather

Other situations l Something was happening, when an action ‘interrupted’ it. ¡ l The ongoing action is imperfect, and the action that ‘interrupts’ is preterite. In a long narrative. ¡ The part that seems to be descriptive, background info is imperfect, while actions and specific events are preterite.

Practice While I was walking in Florida, I saw a gator (el caimán). Mientras caminaba en Florida, vi a un caimán. (interruption of an ongoing action)

Practice I left Florida, and went to Belize. It was sunny when I arrived! Salí de Florida, y fui a Belize. Hacía mucho sol cuando llegué. (action, weather, action)

Practice It was four o’clock when my mom sent me an e-mail. Eran las cuatro cuando mi madre me mandó un e-mail. She was sad, because she missed (extrañar) me. Estaba triste, porque me extrañaba. (time, action, emotion)

Imperfect Formation

Preterite Formation

Web Resource More s Practice Preterite and Imperfect Practice http: //www. colby. edu/~bknelson/exercises/superhombre. html Grammar Help Preterite vs. Imperfect http: //php. indiana. edu/~jsoto/Preterito. Imperfecto. html Online Verb Tutorial http: //www. studyspanish. com/verbs/index. htm