1. PRETERIT VS IMPERFECT

2. USES OF THE PRETERIT
1. A single action or a series of actions completed in the past.
“Felipe limpio su cuarto ayer
The beginning or the end of an action in the past
“Empezo a llover a las tres” “Termine la tarea a las 2”
Time frame: events, weather, conditions
“Llovió por una semana” “estuvo enferma ayer”
4. Mental, Emotional, and physical changes.
“Me volví loca!” “Me puse enferma”
REFER TO P.25 IN YOUR BOOK

3. Verbs with different English translation in the preterit
1. Saber:
Present: to know
Preterit: found out
2. Conocer:
Present: to know, to be acquainted with
preterit: met
3. Poder:
Present: to be able
Preterit: succeeded, managed to
4. Querer:
Present: to want
Preterit: tried, in the negative: to refuse
Refer to p. 28 in the book for more examples.

4. COMMON EXPRESSION WITH THE PRETERIT
Entonces: then una vez: once
De momento: suddenly ayer: yesterday
Por fin: finally una noche/dia: one day/night
De repente: suddenly
Dates, days, months…

5. USES OF THE IMPERFECT 1. Background and descriptions in the past
“la casa de mi abuela era blanca”
2. Ongoing, customary, and habitual actions in the past
“Siempre me levantaba a las 8 de la manana”
5. Time and weather as background.
“eran las 12 de la noche y hacía mucho frio”
6. age in the past
“Tenía 5 meses”
7. Mental or physical CONDITIONS in the past
“el chico era muy aburrido”
Refer to p. 25 in your book

6. COMMON EXPRESSION WITH THE IMPERFECT
Generalmente
Siempre
Todos los dias // cada dia
A menudo
Regularmente
A veces