(8) The Imperfect in Contrast with the Preterit Flashcards
Preterit Vs. Imperfect
The preterit and imperfect complement each other because each tense uses a different perspective to convey the actions and conditions of a story. The preterit foregrounds information relevant to the main plot or sequence of actions; by using the preterit the speaker indicates that the action is complete. The imperfect backgrounds information, or indicates that the action is repeated or habitual, ongoing in the past, or simultaneous with other past actions or conditions.
Mis hermanos y yo crecimos en una familia muy grande porque cuando mi abuelo falleció (murió) mi abuela vino a vivir con nosotros. Cuando éramos muy pequeños, mis hermanos y yo nos reíamos de los apelativos que inventaba nuestra abuela. En vez de decirnos “cielo” o “cariño”, nos llamaba “pollitos” o “grillos” porque hacíamos mucho ruido.
My siblings and I grew up in a very large family because when my grandfather passed away (died), my grandmother came to live with us. When we were small children, my siblings and I used to laugh about the nicknames our grandmother invented. Instead of calling us “honey” or “sweetheart,” she used to call us “little chicks” or “crickets” because we made so much noise.
Preterit Vs. Imperfect: Uses in the Past
Preterit
- Focuses on a past action or condition with an evident *beginning, end, *or time frame
- Indicates a single past action, generally quickly completed, or a series of actions in the past
Imperfect
- Describes the middle of a past action, state, or condition; indicates that it was in progress, with no emphasis on the beginning or end
- Describes a past action that was repeated or habitual over an indefinite period of time.
Preterit Vs. Imperfect: Uses in Narrative
Preterit
- Often interrupts an ongoing (imperfect) action
- Moves the story forward, telling what happened.
Imperfect
- Sets the stage, giving background information (the date, the season, what time it was, the weather, a description of the setting)
- Describes people (physical and personality traits, age, mental or emotional condition)
- Describes ongoing actions
Preterit Vs. Imperfect: Words/Expressions
Preterit
- Punctual and dynamic verbs such as nacer, morir, llegar, romper, dares cuenta, ganar, etc. (denoting situations that change from one moment to the next) are typically conjugated with the preterit.
- Una vez **(once, one time)
- Ayer **(yesterday)
- El verano pasado **(last summer)
- Anoche **(last night)
- Hace diez años **(ten years ago)
- De repente **(suddenly)
- Por fin (finally)
Imperfect
- Some verbs tend to be conjugated with the imperfect. State verbs such as ser, estar, tener, haber, vivir, poder, etc. (denoting conditions that tend to remain stable throughout time), are frequently conjugated in the imperfect
- Muchas veces **(many times, often)
- Todos los dias **(every day)
- Cada **(each, every)
- Con frecuencia **(frequently)
- Siempre **(always)
- Generalmente **(generally)
- Mientras **(while)
- The recounting of regular, frequent events in the past is typically introduced with certain phrases such as Cuando era bebé, Durante mi infancia, En aquella época, etc. The verbs that are part of such descriptions form the background of a narrative, thus they are marked with the imperfect
Preterit Vs. Imperfect: Examples
A speaker can choose to describe the same event (for example, reading a book) from two different perspectives just by changing from preterit to imperfect
- Ayer leí un libro sobre Pablo Neruda, el escritor chileno [Yesterday, I read a book about Pablo Neruda, the Chilean writer] (Reading the book is a completed action, part of the main plot, “el primer plano”.)
- Ayer leía un libro sobre Pablo Neruda, el escritor chileno, cuando mi madre me llamó [Yesterday, I was reading a book about Pablo Neruda, the Chilean writer, when my mother called me] (Reading is the background (“el plano de fondo”) to the main event (my mother called me), an ongoing activity interrupted by the call)
**Imperfect **
The imperfect is formed by removing the –ar, -er, and –ir of the infinitive and adding the corresponding endings.
Three patterns in the imperfect forms will make it easier for you to remember these conjugations:
- All –er and –ir endings are identical
- Yo and Él/ella/Ud. endings within each type of verb are the same
- The endings are similar to endings in other tenses because the tú form still ends in –s, the nosotros form in –mos, and the ellos/ellas/Uds. Form in –n
Subject Pronoun: -ar → -er → -ir
- Yo: **-aba **→ **-ía **→ -ía
- Tú/(vos): **-abas **→ **-ías **→ -ías
- Él/ella/Ud.: -aba → -ía → -ía
- Nosotros: -ábamos → -íamos → -íamos
- Vosotros: -abais → -íais → -íais
- Ellos/Ellas/Uds.: -aban → -ían → -ían
Imperfect: Irregular Verbs
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect.
Subject Pronoun: Ser (be) → Ir (Go)→ Ver (See)
- Yo: **Era **→ Iba → **Veía **
- Tú/(vos): Eras → Ibas → **Veías **
- Él/Ella/Ud.: Era→ **Iba →Veía **
- Nosotros: Éramos→ **Ibamos **→ Veíamos
- Vosotros: **Erais **→ **Ibais **→ Veíais
- Ellos/Ellas/Uds: **Eran **→ Iban→ Veían
Some translations from English to Spanish are fairly transparent (1 and 2), but others are ambiguous (3)
- I used to go to my Grandma’s house
- I was going to my Grandma’s house
- I went to my Grandma’s house/ I did go to my Grandma’s house (as response to: Did I go to my Grandma’s house?)
Sentences (1) and (2) above clearly describe ongoing, habitual situations in the past; thus in Spanish they are in the imperfect (iba a la casa de mi abuela). The third sentence, however, is ambiguous without a larger context. That is, the event of going to Grandma’s house could be part of the foreground of a story (I went/did go to my Grandma’s house this morning), or it can be part of the background of a story (I went/did go to my Grandma’s house every day as a child).
Meaning-Changing Verbs: Conocer (to Meet)
The contrast between the English verbs met and knew is represented in Spanish with one single verb but with two different conjugations of the same verb “conocer”: conocí versus conocía. The preterite conocí marks the beginning of the event (to meet someone) while the imperfect conocía conveys the ongoing nature and lack of focus on the beginning or the end (to know someone).
Conocí a Roberto en una fiesta cuando nos present su esposa, así que cuando nos mudamos los dos a Santiago, ya lo conocía
I _met_ Robert at a party when his wife introduced us so when we both moved to Santiago I already knew him
Meaning-Changing Verbs: Querer (to Want)
Remember that querer is irregular in the preterit:
Subject Pronoun → Preterit Conjugation
- Yo → Quise
- Tú → Quisiste
- Él/Ella/ud → Quiso
- Nosotros/as → Quisimos
- Vosotros/as → Quisisteis
- Ellos/ellas/uds → Quisieron
Preterit
- Quíse hablar con mi primo [I tried to talk to my cousin (but I failed).]
- No quíse hablar con mi primo [I refused to talk to my cousin]
Imperfect
- Quería hablar con mi primo [I wanted to talk to my cousin].
- No quería hablar con mi primo [I didn’t want to talk to my cousin]
Meaning-Changing Verbs: Poder (Power)
Remember that poder is irregular in the preterit:
Subject Pronoun → Preterit Conjugation
- Yo → Pude
- Tú → Pudiste
- Él/Ella/ud → Pudo
- Nosotros/as → Pudimos
- Vosotros/as → Pudisteis
- Ellos/ellas/uds → Pudieron
Preterit
- Mi tío pudo ayudamos. [My uncle succeeded in helping us]
- Mi tío no pudo ayudamos [My uncle could not (and did not) help us]
Imperfect
- Mi tío podía ayudamos [My uncle could help us]
- Mi tío no podía ayudamos [My uncle could not help us]
Meaning-Changing Verbs: Saber (to Know)
Remember that saber is irregular in the preterit:
Subject Pronoun → Preterit Conjugation
- Yo → Supe
- Tú → Supiste
- Él/Ella/ud → Supo
- Nosotros/as → Supimos
- Vosotros/as → Supisteis
- Ellos/ellas/uds → Supieron
Preterit
- Ana supo la respuesta [Ann answered correctly]
- Ana supo sobre el problema [Ann found out about the problem]
Imperfect
- Ana sabía la respuesta [Ann knew the answer]
- Ana sabía el problema [Ana knew about the problem]
