2. Preterit Vs. Imperfect This is different than English because we consider past as one tense.

3. Preterit Rules Red Light

4. Preterit For Actions that can be viewed as single events Example: La gallina murió ayer.

5. Preterit For actions that were repeated a specific number of times. Example: La rana caminó a la tienda tres veces.

6. Preterit For actions that occurred during a specific period of time. Example: Yo estudié por diez minutos.

7. Preterit For actions that were part of a chain of events. Example: Yo asusté el alce americano y huyó.

8. Preterit To state the beginning or the end of an action. Example: Nosotros empezamos el partido de fútbol.

9. Imperfect Rules Green Light

10. Imperfect For actions that were repeated habitually. Example: Yo iba al colegio todos los días.

11. Imperfect For actions that set the stage for other past actions. Example: Hacía calor por la playa.

12. Imperfect For telling time. Example: Eran las dos de la mañana.

13. Imperfect For stating one’s age Example: Yo tenía seis años.

14. Imperfect For mental states Example: El profesor estaba enojado.

15. For physical sensations. Example: La estufa era calor.

16. Imperfect To describe the characteristics of people, things, or conditions. Example: La chica era muy fea.