Both the preterite and imperfect talk about the past, but they show the past from different angles. The preterite presents an event as complete. The imperfect places you inside an ongoing situation, habit, or description.

Use the preterite for completed events

Choose the preterite when you see an action as a finished whole. A specific time, a clear result, or a sequence of events often points to this tense.

  • A completed action: I called Ana.
  • An event at a stated time: We arrived at eight.
  • A sequence: She opened the door, entered, and sat down.
  • A change or beginning: It started to rain.
Ayer hablé con Ana.
Yesterday I spoke with Ana.The conversation is treated as a completed event.

Use the imperfect for background and habits

Choose the imperfect when the beginning or end is not important. It describes the setting, an action already in progress, repeated past behaviour, or a past state.

  • A repeated habit: We used to eat together.
  • An action in progress: I was reading.
  • A description: The house was small.
  • Time, age, or weather: It was three o’clock.
Cuando era niño, jugaba aquí.
When I was a child, I used to play here.Both verbs describe an ongoing past state or habit.

Use both tenses to tell a complete story

The two tenses often work together. The imperfect builds the scene or describes an action in progress; the preterite introduces the completed event that moves the story forward.

Caminaba a casa cuando empezó a llover.
I was walking home when it started to rain.Caminaba is the ongoing background. Empezó is the completed event.

A quick check before you answer

  1. Ask whether the action is presented as complete. If yes, try the preterite.
  2. Ask whether it describes a habit, scene, state, or action in progress. If yes, try the imperfect.
  3. Look at the whole sentence, not just a signal word. Meaning matters more than memorised word lists.
  4. Read the sentence aloud and explain the choice in one short phrase: completed event or background.