Past Tenses: Preterite vs. Imperfect in Spanish

This lesson teaches which past tense to use in different contexts; same rules apply to Portuguese simple past and imperfect as well!!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• languagenow
• Spanish
• Preterite
• Imperfect
• Past
• Tenses
• Portuguese
• pretérito
• imperfecto

[bevisponcho]

9 college semesters of spanish and counting

Anyway, preterite, imperfect is the most difficult for me... First you said that an interrupting action is in the preterite, then you said an action in progress when interrupted by another action is in the imperfect.

Having been a computer logic troubleshooter for over 40 years, I find these statements totally illogical.. What am I missing? and What is your opinion in general about teaching beginning English students Spanish, totally in Spanish?

[languagenow]

@bevisponcho thanks for watching. You indeed quoted me correctly, but re-read; it's not at all a contradiction... it's a repetition: I said the same thing twice. An ongoing (I was watching TV) is often interrupted (when she turned the channel), ongoing action is imperfect, interrupting is preterite: veía la tele cuando ella cambió el canal. Teaching all in Spanish is effective in an IMMERSION context, not in a 50-minute class, IMHO.

[lagnam22]

If the sentence is 'She was working at the mall for 10 years'. What will it be imperfect or preterite? i need an answer as soon as possible please.

[languagenow]

@lagnam22 To me that sentence doesn't make sense in English. If you mention the specific 10-year time frame, the sentence should be: She worked at the mall for 10 years. In Spanish, if you mention the action as a completed event, no matter HOW LONG it lasted, it's preterite. Trabajó 10 años en el centro comercial.

[Cinnamonbeauty7]

muchas gracias! i'm a student on study abroad in argentina and our classes are taught in spanish, my profesor really wasn't able to break down the difference between preterito perfecto y preterito imperfecto como vos. muchas gracias!!!

[languagenow]

@Cinnamonbeauty7 de nada! That's me... always breakin down stuff so people can understand better :) Have fun in Argentina!

[epiqism]

thanks so much, bro! my spanish teacher failed at teaching this to us, but this helped like crazy!

[languagenow]

@macooper1234 what are you talking about...? commie? huh?I

[love2cu2b]

"She worked at the mall for 10 years". Ella trabajó en el mall por 10 años.

You are right: this sentence is in the preterite. It's over with. If you want to expand your description you will have to use the Imperfect:

"Cuando ella trabajaba en el mall por 10 años, (repetitive action) Imp.

se levantaba temprano. Imp.

[SoThatsJustAboutIt]

I've been taking Spanish for years now, but I've always had trouble with preterito v. imperfecto. This video was the first time I feel like it really sunk in. Muchas gracias!

[Tannazification]

You ARE so much better than my Spanish teacher! thank you

[mauea30]

@Cinnamonbeauty7 i'm from Argentina, the problem with language teachers here is that they seem to be obsessed with the idea of teaching English in English or Spanish in Spanish, I mean, they think it helps students to learn the language aurally, but it sometimes doesnt work, especially when students are tired of trying to understand what the teacher is saying. i think that is the reason why these kind of video tutorials are welcomed by learners

[WorksGreat]

@jhoncena9111 This is my understanding. The idea of "to begin" is "completed" the moment following the moment of beginning.

So, the "beginning" of her crying is OVER and PAST and happened "in an instant" her crying is continuing. Consider the story. Ella epezo a llorar. So, ella lloraba mucho. Por fin, ella lo terminó (again, for the same reason, "finishing" happens all in one moment).

[JenniB2BM]

Great video, finally I will know exactly which tense to use in every situation!

[jhoncena9111]

she ordered lunch.

she read the newspaper.

how is one imperfect and the other preterit?

I noticed u said she WAS READING do that makes it imperfict but can u also say she read and it would be preterit so do both of them work as imperfect and preterit?

[jhoncena9111]

she began to cry.

cant she be crying till now so its not finished why is it preterit?

[JUDGEMENTWITHLOVE]

thank you so much. you taught me this in about 10 mins and my teacher couldnt teach us this in 3 mths

[treanyo]

Damn, I really helps me in the spanish exam I have in like 4 hours.

Living in Spain, and not knowin' crap about spanish xD At least I got 2 other languages, so I'm gonna be a cultivated street sweeper xD