1. 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

2. Uses for Preterite and 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

3. Other situations
Something was happening, when an action ‘interrupted’ it.
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.

4. (interruption of an ongoing action)
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)

5. 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)

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

7. Imperfect Formation

8. Preterite Formation

9. Yolanda’s Scary Experience
Preterite and Imperfect - As you view this video of Yolanda’s surprising experience as a hotel receptionist, write down as many preterite and imperfect verbs as you hear. After the video, we will go through them together and discuss why they were used.

10. W e b R e s o u r c e s More Practice Grammar Help
Preterite and Imperfect Practice
Grammar Help
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Online Verb Tutorial