Upgrade to remove ads
Busy. Please wait.
Log in with Clever
or

show password
Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?  Sign up 
Sign up using Clever
or

Username is available taken
show password


Make sure to remember your password. If you forget it there is no way for StudyStack to send you a reset link. You would need to create a new account.
Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password
Enter the associated with your account, and we'll email you a link to reset your password.

Preterite V Imperfect

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
        Help!  

Question
Answer
To tell of something that happened once   Preterite — Fui ayer a la tienda. (I went to the store yesterday.) Escribí la carta. (I wrote the letter.)  
🗑
To tell of something that happened more than once but with a specific end   Preterite- — Fui ayer a la tienda seis veces. (I went to the store six times yesterday.) Leyó el libro cinco veces. (He read the book five times.)  
🗑
To tell of past habitual or repeated actions   Imperfect— Iba a la tienda. (I used to go to the store.) Leíamos los libros. (We would read the books.) Lavaban las manos. (They would wash their hands.) Escribía muchas cartas. (I wrote many letters.)  
🗑
To indicate the beginning or end of a process   Preterite— Tuvo frío. (He got cold.) El huracán se terminó a las ocho. (The hurricane was over at 8.)  
🗑
To describe a condition, mental state or state of being from the past   Imperfect— Había una casa aquí. (There used to be a house here.) Era estúpido. (He was stupid.) No te conocía. (I didn't know you.) Quería estar feliz. (He wanted to be happy.) Tenía frío. (He was cold.)  
🗑
To describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time   Imperfect— Lavaban los manos. (They were washing their hands.) Cuando José tocaba el piano, María comía. (While José was playing the piano, María was eating.)  
🗑
To indicate time or age in the past   Imperfect— Era la una de la tarde. (It was 1 p.m.) Tenía 43 años. (She was 43 years old.)  
🗑
ayer (yesterday   preterite.  
🗑
anteayer (the day before yesterday   preterite.  
🗑
anoche (last night   preterite.preterite.  
🗑
desde el primer momento (from the first moment   preterite.  
🗑
durante dos siglos (for two centuries   preterite.  
🗑
el otro día (the other day   preterite.  
🗑
en ese momento (at that moment   preterite.  
🗑
entonces (then   preterite.  
🗑
esta mañana (this morning   preterite.  
🗑
esta tarde (this afternoon   preterite.  
🗑
la semana pasada (last week   preterite.  
🗑
el mes pasado (last month   preterite.  
🗑
el año pasado (last year   preterite.  
🗑
hace dos días, años (two days, years ago   preterite.  
🗑
ayer por la mañana (yesterday morning   preterite.  
🗑
ayer por la tarde (yesterday afternoon   preterite.  
🗑
a menudo (often   imperfect.  
🗑
a veces (sometimes   imperfect.  
🗑
cada día (every day   imperfect.  
🗑
cada semana (every week   imperfect.  
🗑
cada mes (every month   imperfect.  
🗑
cada año (every year    
🗑
con frecuencia (frequently   imperfect.  
🗑
de vez en cuando (from time to time   imperfect.  
🗑
en aquella época (at that time   imperfect.  
🗑
frecuentemente (frequently   imperfect.  
🗑
generalmente (usually   imperfect.  
🗑
muchas veces (many times   imperfect.  
🗑
mucho (a lot   imperfect.  
🗑
nunca (never   imperfect.  
🗑
por un rato (for awhile   imperfect.  
🗑
siempre (always   imperfect.  
🗑
tantas veces (so many times   imperfect.  
🗑
todas las semanas (every week   imperfect.  
🗑
todos los días (every day   imperfect.  
🗑
todo el tiempo (all the time   imperfect.  
🗑
varias veces (several times   imperfect.  
🗑
When you "set a scene" describing what your house or dog used to look like and what your family was like.   Imperfect  
🗑
Think of looking at a photograph and describing the people in it and what they were doing. Since the photograph is static, the people in it can't start doing something different. So you can only describe the scene you see.   Imperfect  
🗑
When you are describing what people were doing (in the process of doing) or used to do or when you describe what it was like when you arrived at the party last night.   Imperfect  
🗑
The ______ is used to describe completed actions in the past.   preterite  
🗑
The _________ is used for habitual actions or ongoing past actions with no reference to beginning or ending.   imperfect  
🗑
Sometimes, these past actions were interrupted by another action: Tú estabas en el área cuando la alarma fue activada. You were in the area when the alarm went off.   imperfect/preterit  
🗑
A past action or state being viewed as in progress. In English we often use the past progressive for this: “was/were ...-ing”.   imperfect  
🗑
Descriptions in past time, that is, what a person, thing, or situation was like. This also includes situations such as giving the time of day, the date, the weather, one's age, etc. (unless a change or the start/end of a state is indicated,preterit   imperfect  
🗑
Mental states (in progress) in past time.   imperfect  
🗑
A past action viewed as being customary or habitual. Note that English often uses “would” or “used to” to indicate this.   imperfect  
🗑
_____ tends to “freeze” an action or state in past time, or to view it as over and done with. It is used to:   preterit  
🗑
Present an action/state in past as completed or as something instantaneous. Note that expressions of time which limit the action to a more or less specific period of time —even a long period such as thousands of years— indicate that the action is being a   preterit.  
🗑
Give a series of sequential actions in past time, that is, “first this happened, then something else occurred, and then...”   preterit  
🗑
Show the start or finish of an action or state, or indicate a change in a state in past time.   preterit  
🗑
Indicate an action as interrupting a previously existing action or stated (usually given in the imperfect).   preterit  
🗑
El pretérito de querer = tried   quisieron  
🗑
El imperfecto de querer = wanted   querIan  
🗑
El pretérito de conocer = met   conociO  
🗑
El imperfecto de conocer = knew   conocIa  
🗑
El pretérito de saber = found out   supo  
🗑
El imperfecto de saber = knew   sabIa  
🗑
El pretérito de tener = got, received   tuviste  
🗑
El imperfecto de tener = used to have   tenIas  
🗑
El pretérito de conocer = met   conocI  
🗑
El imperfecto de conocer = knew   conocIa  
🗑
El pretérito de saber = found out   supe  
🗑
El imperfecto de saber = knew   sabIa  
🗑
El pretérito de poder = did not succeed   no pudieron  
🗑
El imperfecto de poder = were not able   no podIan  
🗑
El pretérito de tener = got   tuvo  
🗑
El imperfecto de tener = used to have   tenIa  
🗑
El pretérito de tener = got   tuve  
🗑
El imperfecto de tener = used to have   tenIa  
🗑
El pretérito de poder = succeeded   pudo  
🗑
El imperfecto de poder = was able   podIa  
🗑
El pretérito de querer = tried   quiso  
🗑
El imperfecto de querer = wanted   querIa  
🗑
El pretérito de poder = managed   pudimos  
🗑
El imperfecto de poder = was able   podiamos  
🗑
El pretérito de querer = tried   quisieron  
🗑
El imperfecto de querer = wanted   querIan  
🗑
El pretérito de conocer = met   conocieron  
🗑
El imperfecto = acquainted with   conocIan  
🗑
El pretérito de saber = found out   supieron  
🗑
El imperfecto de saber = knew (a fact)   sabIan  
🗑
El pretérito de tener = received   tuvo  
🗑
El imperfecto = had, used to have   tenIa  
🗑
El pretérito de conocer = met   conocI  
🗑
el imperfecto = knew   conocIa  
🗑
El pretérito de saber = found out   supe  
🗑
El imperfecto de saber = knew (a fact)   sabIa  
🗑
To emphasize the start or completion of a past action, even, or state (physical or mental)   Preterite  
🗑
To narrate past actions that occurred within a delimited time period or that were repeated a number of times   Preterite  
🗑
To narrate a sequence of completed past actions (implying that one action or even finishes before the next begins)   Preterite  
🗑
To summarize opinions, attitudes, and beliefs about past physical and mental states, actions, and events   Preterite  
🗑
To provide background information, such as weather and time, in which events or actions evolved or occurred in the past   Imperfect  
🗑
To describe actions in progress in the past without emphasis on when they started or ended   Imperfect  
🗑
To express repetitive or habitual actions in the past (what one used to do)   Imperfect  
🗑
To describe things or people (emotions, opinions, attitudes, or beliefs)   Imperfect  
🗑
To anticipate what was going to happen with "ir a + infinitive"   Imperfect  
🗑
To describe one's age   Imperfect  
🗑
"I started to look for work a week ago"   Preterite  
🗑
"I had my first interview yesterday and they offered me a job"   Preterite  
🗑
"I stopped looking for work after accepting the job"   Preterite  
🗑
"I lived in San Antonio for two years"   Preterite  
🗑
"I visited my family in Monterrey many times"   Preterite  
🗑
"We boarded the train very early and traveled many hours until we arrived in California"   Preterite  
🗑
"The trip seemed very long to me"   Preterite  
🗑
"To emigrate was an important decision"   Preterite  
🗑
"It was ten o'clock in the morning. It was very hot that day. There wasn't anybody in the airport."   Imperfect  
🗑
"We were all waiting patiently to board the plane"   Imperfect  
🗑
"Rosa used to go to El Paso a lot to visit her daughter who was living there"   Imperfect  
🗑
"When I was young, out house was small, but my sister and I thought that it was pretty"   Imperfect  
🗑
"Our family was going to emigrate to the United States in 1998"   Imperfect  
🗑
"In 1998, I was fifteen years old"   Imperfect  
🗑


   

Review the information in the table. When you are ready to quiz yourself you can hide individual columns or the entire table. Then you can click on the empty cells to reveal the answer. Try to recall what will be displayed before clicking the empty cell.
 
To hide a column, click on the column name.
 
To hide the entire table, click on the "Hide All" button.
 
You may also shuffle the rows of the table by clicking on the "Shuffle" button.
 
Or sort by any of the columns using the down arrow next to any column heading.
If you know all the data on any row, you can temporarily remove it by tapping the trash can to the right of the row.

 
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.

  Normal Size     Small Size show me how
Created by: evykas70
Popular Spanish sets