How do you know if its imperfect or preterite in Spanish?
Generally speaking, the preterite is used for actions in the past that are seen as completed, while the imperfect tense is used for past actions that did not have a definite beginning or a definite end. Juan habló dos horas. Juan spoke two hours.
How do you use imperfect and preterite in the same sentence?
After the comma, the next verb will be in the imperfect. In some sentences, the conjunction cuando is used to join two preterite verbs. This sentence structure indicates that the action of both verbs was completed at the same time or that one was the result of the other. Carlos me llamó cuando él llegó.
Is background info preterite or imperfect?
We use both the Preterite and the Imperfect to talk about the past, but in different ways. The Preterite is the tense for main actions. It answers the question: “What happened?”. The Imperfect is the tense for background information: descriptions, habitual actions, ongoing situations…
Do you use preterite or imperfect for age?
Whenever you want to refer to someone’s age in the past or tell what was the time when something happened, also use the imperfect tense. Eran poco más de las tres de la tarde de ayer. (It was a little after three in the afternoon of yesterday.)
Do you use preterite or imperfect for emotions?
The imperfect is used to describe past actions that have no clear beginning and end. This includes descriptions, age, weather, time, and emotions. It also refers to repeated action (translated as “used to”) such as, “iba todos los veranos” (I used to go every summer). Learn more about conjugating the imperfect tense.
Is todos los dias imperfect?
The fact that an action is habitual or not is determined by the context, or time markers such as “todos los días”, not by the choice of tense between imperfect and preterite. You’d use imperfect if people were still buying them before the end of the year, and you don’t intend to reach that end in your story (just yet).
Do you use imperfect for emotions?
Is De Pequeno preterite or imperfect?
Use the imperfect when you want to talk about repeated or habitual actions in the past. (Note that in Spanish you can just say “De pequeño” or “De joven” (When I was young). You don’t have to say, even though you can, “Cuando era pequeño” or “Cuando era joven.”)