Simple and Imperfect past: How to master them in Spanish

 Simple and Imperfect Past from an English point of View

The preterite is a complex territory in Spanish, where two preterites, the imperfect and the simple, vie for attention. Although both translate into the simple past in English, each has a specific use.  

For English-speaking learners, the choice between one and the other can be challenging. By understanding the differences between these two tenses, you will be able to communicate more accurately and fluently in Spanish.

In this guide we will explore the keys to mastering the use of these two tenses in relation to the English past simple in the hope that it will help you understand the differences between these two tenses and how to use them correctly in your Spanish conversations and writing.

Imperfect Past: Pretérito Imperfecto

• It is formed with the verb stem + the imperfect endings. Remember there are three Spanish verb endings: Ar - Er - Ir. In the next lines you will find each Spanish pronoun next to three different verbs belonging to each group: 

Yo cocinaba, comía y dormía. Cocinar - Comer - Dormir - I cooked, ate and slept.

Tú manejabas, veías y reías. Manejar - Ver - Reír - You drove, saw and laughed.

Ella trabajaba, sabía y vivía. Trabajar - Saber - Vivir - She worked, knew and lived.

Nosotros despertábamos, corríamos y oíamos. Despertar - Correr - Oír - We woke up, ran and heard.

Ustedes y Ellos cantaban, olían e iban. Cantar - Oler - Ir - You all and they sang, smelled and went.

 

El pretérito imperfecto se utiliza para:

• Describing actions or states that lasted in the past:

• Example: Cuando (yo) era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días. - When I was a child, I played soccer every day.

• Talking about habits or customs in the past:

• Example: Todos los domingos, mi familia comía paella. - Every Sunday, my family ate paella.

• Describing what something was like in the past:

• Example: Mi abuela era muy cariñosa. - My grandma was very affectionate. 

• Create a background or context for a specific action in the past:

• Example: (Yo) Caminaba por la calle cuando vi a mi amigo. - I was walking down the street when I saw my friend.

• Telling a story in the past tense:

 Example: Caminaba por la calle Independencia, iba solo como siempre, en mi bolso llevaba mis libretas… - I was walking down Independencia Street, alone as usual, carrying my notebooks in my bag....

Simple Past: Pretérito Simple

El pretérito simple se utiliza para:

• Expressing specific actions that occurred in the past:

• Example: Ayer fui al cine. - Yesterday, I went to the movies.

• Narrating a series of consecutive events in the past or in a chronological order:

• Example: Llegó, se sentó y empezó a hablar. - He arrived, sat down and started talking.

• To indicate the beginning or the end of an action in the past:

• Example: Ella nació en 1990 y murió en 2023. - She was born in 1990 and died in 2023.

Key differences: The Big Versus

• When the imperfect preterite is used, the specific time at which the action occurred in the past can be omitted, while the simple preterite does need the time to be established, although it is not mentioned in the sentence, it must be clearly understood by the speakers. 

• Time expressions  are determinant in the message expressed by both tenses.

• Imperfect past is used to talk about actions that lasted or were repeated in time, while the simple past is used to talk about punctual actions, which happened only once or can be seen as a whole and not separated or repeated events.

• Imperfect is used with verbs such as ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer to describe what life was like in the past.

  Length of the Action

Imperfect: Actions that lasted or were done more than once in the past.

Simple: Punctual actions that occurred in the past.

Specificity:

Imperfect: Time of the action can be omitted.

Simple: Indicates a specific time in the past.

Repetition

Imperfect: The imperfect is used for habitual or repetitive actions in the past.

Simple: is used for single, unrepeatable actions.

Differences with the past simple in English:

El pasado imperfecto or pretérito imperfecto tense has no exact equivalent in English. In some cases it can be translated as "used to" + infinitive verb, but this is not always possible, that is to say; it is translated as simple past to English and a time expression will do the rest.

El pasado simple or pretérito indefinido tense translates to "past tense" in English(We must not forget that culture and idiomatic expressions make important differences when it refers to verbs or words used to refer to certain situations). Manuel acabó de llegar a su oficina. Manuel has just arrived at his office.

Comparative Examples

The following table tries to show the difference between using the preterite simple and the imperfect in similar sentences.

 It is important to understand that they are also used in sentences where they should not be, but it is possible and you will be able to see the difference in the message through the translations. 

Situación	Pretérito imperfecto	Pretérito simple
Describir la rutina diaria	Jugaba al fútbol en el parque todas las tardes. - I played soccer in the park every afternoon	Un día, se cayó y se raspó la rodilla. - One day, he fell and scraped his knee
Descripciones - Descriptions	El cielo estaba azul y el sol brillaba. - The sky was blue and the sun was shining	El cielo estuvo despejado por veinte minutos nada más, luego llovió por el resto de la tarde. - The sky was clear for only twenty minutes, then it rained for the rest of the afternoon
Estados de ánimo o sentimientos en el pasado	Ella estaba triste porque su perro se había perdido. -  She was sad because her dog was lost.	Ella estuvo triste todo el día de ayer, hoy despertó de buen humor. - She was sad all day yesterday, today she woke up in a good mood.
Descripciones de personas, lugares o cosas en el pasado	La casa de mis abuelos era pequeña pero acogedora. -  My grandparents' house was small but cozy.	Mi abuela fue muy amable con el vecino esta mañana. - My grandmother was very kind to the neighbor this morning.
Hablar de un evento histórico	Los soldados cantaban en las trincheras para darse ánimo. - Soldiers sang in the trenches to encourage each other.	La guerra empezó en 1939 y terminó en 1945. - The war began in 1939 and ended in 1945. La Segunda Guerra Mundial duró seis años. - World War II lasted six years.
Telling a story or narrating a past series of events.	Luisa se despertaba temprano, luego hacía café y el aroma era muy sabroso, toda la casa olía a café recién colado. - Luisa would wake up early, then make coffee and the aroma was very tasty, the whole house smelled of freshly brewed coffee.	Los estudiantes llegaron al patio de la escuela y apenas se pusieron a cantar, comenzó la lluvia. - The students arrived at the schoolyard and as soon as they started singing, the rain began.

Time expressions have been coloured in blue. These expressions can make the difference between using Simple or Imperfect and it is very important to bear in mind that these expressions could be implied in the sentence when using one of the Spanish past tenses.

Useful Tips 

• Practice conjugating verbs in both tenses.

• Pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine which verb tense to use.

• Read Spanish texts to see how these tenses are used in different situations.

• Don't hesitate to ask your teacher or a native Spanish speaker if you have questions.

In a Nutshell

To use the past imperfect and past simple correctly, it is important to think about the duration of the action in the past.

If the action lasted in time, use the past imperfect tense.

If the action was punctual or finished, use the preterite simple.

The preterite imperfect and the preterite simple are two essential verb tenses for talking about the past in Spanish.

 Although they may seem similar at first glance, each has a specific use. 

¡Espero que esta guía te haya sido útil!