When do I use the preterite and when the imperfect in Spanish?

3 min readPublished 9 October 2026

Short answer

Use the preterite (pretérito indefinido) for completed actions seen as whole events — what happened: Ayer comí paella. Llegó a las tres. Vivimos dos años en Quito. Use the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) for background, descriptions, habits and actions in progress — what was going on or what used to happen: De niño comía paella los domingos. Llovía cuando salí. La casa era grande.

In a story, the two work together: the imperfect paints the scene, the preterite moves the action forward.

A picture and an event

Think of a film. The imperfect is the scenery and what the characters are already doing when the camera starts; the preterite is each new thing that happens in the shot.

Hacía sol y los niños jugaban en el parque.

It was sunny and the children were playing in the park.

the scene: imperfect
De repente, empezó a llover.

Suddenly, it started to rain.

an event: preterite
Todos corrieron a casa.

Everyone ran home.

the next event: preterite

Uses of the preterite

Single completed actions: Compré un coche.
Actions with a clear beginning or end: Empezó a las ocho. Terminamos tarde.
A series of events: Me levanté, me duché y salí.
Completed periods, even long ones: Viví en México cinco años. (the period is over)
An action that interrupts another: …cuando sonó el teléfono.

Uses of the imperfect

Habits in the past (“used to”, “would”): Todos los veranos íbamos al mar.
Descriptions of people, places, weather: Era alta y tenía el pelo corto.
Time and age in the past: Eran las diez. Tenía doce años.
Actions in progress (often interrupted): Cocinaba cuando llegaste. / Estaba cocinando…
Feelings and states: Estaba cansada. Quería dormir.

Signal words — useful, not decisive

Often preterite	Often imperfect
ayer, anoche	siempre, a menudo, normalmente
el año pasado, la semana pasada	todos los días, cada verano
una vez, de repente	mientras
en 2015	de niño, de pequeño, antes

These words are clues, but the meaning decides: Ayer llovía cuando salí is correct, because the rain was the background.

Verbs that change meaning

Verb	Preterite	Imperfect
conocer	conocí — I met	conocía — I knew
saber	supe — I found out	sabía — I knew
querer	quise — I tried	quería — I wanted
no querer	no quise — I refused	no quería — I didn’t want
poder	pude — I managed	podía — I was able
tener	tuve — I got, received	tenía — I had

Common mistakes

Not: Ayer estaba en el cine dos horas.

Better: Ayer estuve en el cine dos horas.

a completed, measured period
Not: Cuando era niño, fui a la playa cada verano.

Better: Cuando era niño, iba a la playa cada verano.

a repeated habit
Not: Fue las tres cuando llegué.

Better: Eran las tres cuando llegué.

time in the past uses the imperfect (and agrees with “las tres”)
Not: Mientras cociné, sonó el teléfono.

Better: Mientras cocinaba, sonó el teléfono.

Practise with a story

Tell a short story about a memorable day. First, write three sentences of background in the imperfect — the weather, where you were, what you were doing. Then write five events in the preterite. Read it aloud; then tell it again without notes.

In short

Preterite: what happened — completed events, sequences, interruptions, finished periods.
Imperfect: what was going on — background, descriptions, habits, time, ongoing actions.
Stories use both: imperfect for the scene, preterite for the events.
conocer, saber, querer, poder change meaning between the two.

Lessons on this in the library

Practise it in Zorg Space

Reading an answer is the first step. In the app, the same grammar becomes exercises with instant correction, new words come back for review just before you would forget them, and you listen and speak as well.

Practise in Zorg Space

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