Preterite vs imperfect in Spanish: how to choose
Short answer: use the preterite for events that started and finished — things you could count or put a time on (comí, fui, tuve). Use the imperfect for the background: what used to happen, what was going on, and descriptions (comía, iba, tenía).
One question that settles most cases
Ask: “Is this a finished event in the story, or the scenery around it?” Events move the story forward → preterite. Scenery, habits and states → imperfect.
- Llovía cuando salí. — It was raining (scenery) when I left (event).
- De niño jugaba al fútbol. — As a kid I used to play soccer (habit).
- Ayer jugué al fútbol. — Yesterday I played soccer (one finished event).
Signal words
- Preterite: ayer, anoche, el lunes, en 2019, de repente, una vez, dos veces
- Imperfect: siempre, a menudo, todos los días, de niño, mientras, cuando era…
Verbs that change meaning
saber: supe (found out) / sabía (knew). conocer: conocí (met) / conocía (knew someone). querer: quise (tried) / no quise (refused). poder: pude (managed) / podía (was able).
Practice the pair, not the rule
Most learners know the rule and still freeze when speaking. Drilling both forms of the same verb side by side — comí / comía, fui / iba — builds the instinct faster than rereading rules. In Verbizo you can pick just these two tenses in Practice and see the English meaning under every form (“I ate” vs “I was eating”).
FAQ
Is “was eating” always the imperfect?
Usually yes: “comía” or “estaba comiendo”. “ate” is usually preterite (“comí”), but “used to eat” is imperfect (“comía”).
Which tense do I use with “ayer”?
Most often the preterite (“ayer comí paella”), unless you describe what was happening yesterday (“ayer llovía”).
Do some verbs change meaning?
Yes. supe = I found out, sabía = I knew; conocí = I met, conocía = I knew (someone); quise = I tried, no quise = I refused.