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Preterite tense
Used for completed actions in the past, indicates specific time or duration, conveys a sequence of events. Regular verb endings:-é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron. Irregular verb conjugations.
Common Phrases in Preterite
1 time, Yesterday, Day before yesterday, Yesterday morning, Last night, Last week, Last year.
Imperfect tense
Used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, describes background information, expresses age, time, weather, emotions, and physical states. Irregular verb conjugations.
Common Phrases in Imperfect
Often, Frequently, Rarely, A lot, Usually, Generally, At times, Once in a while, So many times, Every day, Every week.
Regular AR verb endings in Imperfect
-aba, -ábamos, -abas, -abais, -aba, -aban.
Regular IR/ER verb endings in Imperfect
-ía, -íamos, -ías, -íais, -ía, -ían.
Key differences between Preterite and Imperfect
Preterite focuses on completed actions, while imperfect focuses on ongoing actions. Preterite indicates a specific time, while imperfect doesn't. Preterite is used for a sequence of events, while imperfect sets the stage. Certain verbs have different meanings in each tense.
Example in Preterite
"Comí una pizza anoche." (I ate a pizza last night.)
Example in Imperfect
"Siempre jugaba al fútbol los sábados." (I used to play soccer every Saturday.)
Note
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