Types of past tenses, many endings and forms stump any beginner. But not everything is so difficult if you put all the grammatical guidelines on their shelves.
Past in Spanish: Main Difference between Imperfect and Preterite
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Criteria to characterize |
Preterite |
Imperfect |
|
Completion in time |
an action that has exactly happened in the past and has signs of completion |
action, the incident of which is mentioned in general terms; also nothing is specifically said about its completeness |
|
When this time form is used? |
|
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It is certainly crucial to distinguish between the conditions of time that are markers for both forms.
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Imperfect in Spanish: the Key Rules
The process of forming regular verbs occurs as follows.
Now let us see how three main regular verbs change. For example, ir imperfect.
The Basic Rules of Preterite
The endings and examples of verb creation are given in the table below. All other regular verbs, such as escribir, comprar, estudiar preterite, are constructed on the same principle.
Let us pay attention to the features of some frequently used irregular forms.
There are individual verbs that are most often used only in this type. They are characterized by the time frame of beginning and end. For instance: graduarse, nacer, morir.
Samples of Sentences for Comparison
Only lessons with a Spanish tutor will help to truly understand this difference and absorb grammatical forms without cramming.
