LESSON NOTES

Verb Conjugation #23

Imperfect VS. Preterit

CONTENTS

Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Grammar
Cultural insight

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VOCABULARY

Spanish English Class Gender

tratar to try, to treat verb

decir to say, to tell verb

saber to know, to find out verb

interesante interesting adjective

buscar to search for, to look for verb

escribir to write verb

novela novel, TV soap opera noun feminine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Él trató de besarme pero me escapé Intentaré recordar.

"He tried to kiss me, but I ran away." "I will try to remember. "

Trataré de que no vuelva a suceder. El profesor dirá la respuesta.

"I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again." "The professor will say the answer."

¡No lo dirás en serio! Ayer supo la verdad.

"You can't be serious!" "Yesterday, she found out the truth."

Sabe hablar varios idiomas. Ella es muy interesante.

"She can speak several languages." "She is very interesting."

Yo le busqué trabajo. Escríbelo aquí.

"I found him a job." "Write it down here."

Mi madre está mirando una telenovela.

"My mother is watching a soap opera."

GRAMMAR
The Imperfect VS. The Preterit

The Preterit and Imperfect Tenses are both used to talk about past actions. They are often used in
tandem to describe things that happened in the past. However, there is a key difference that
distinguishes them. The Preterit is used to refer to completed actions in the past that started and ended
at a set point in the past. On the other hand, the Imperfect is used to express ongoing actions that do
not have a specific beginning or end.

For example:

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IMPERFECT- "Ayer a las siete yo leía un libro."
(Yesterday at seven I was reading a book.)
PRETERIT- "Ayer a las siete terminé de leer un libro."
(Yesterday at seven I finished reading a book.)

*We use the Imperfect to describe past actions in progress in which neither the beginning nor the end
of the action matters. It can be employed to describe two or more actions in progress that occurred
simultaneously in the past. In addition, we utilize it to describe a past action in progress that was
interrupted by another action. Use the Preterit Tense for the interrupting actions and the word
"cuando"(when) to connect the two clauses. Remember that the Preterit refers to completed actions at a
set point in time.

Look at this sentence that combines both tenses:

"La chica lloraba cuando su mama llegó a casa."

(The girl was crying when her mother arrived home.)

*Review the other Verb Conjugation Series lessons that deal with the Preterit Tense for complete details
on the Preterit conjugations. Below are the conjugations for three verbs in the Imperfect Tense: "tratar"
(to try), "saber" (to know), and "decir" (to say).

Persona TRATAR SABER DECIR

yo trataba sabía decía

tú tratabas sabías decías

él/ella/usted trataba sabía decía

nosotros tratábamos sabíamos decíamos

vosotros tratabais sabíais decíais

ellos/ellas trataban sabían decían

ustedes trataban sabían decían

CULTURAL INSIGHT
The sign of a skilled Spanish speaker is their ability to conjugate verbs in various tenses. Here is one last
review of the Preterit and the Imperfect in order to distinguish what each tense is all about. Use the
Preterit to express a completed action or state; to denote the beginning or the end of a past action or
state; and to express an action or state that occurred over a specific period of time. Use the Imperfect to
set the scene or background of a story in the past; to state the time an action occurred; to tell the age of
a person; to describe people, places and things; to describe ongoing emotions or mental states in the
past; to describe habitual actions in the past; and to express past actions in progress.

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