2.03 - ¿Qué pasó? vs. ¿Qué pasaba? - Estructuras
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Compare and Contrast
You have learned two different past tenses; some think of it as one verb tense (the past), with two separate parts (the preterite and the imperfect). You know that they are used in different ways — check out the chart below to contrast them.
| El Pretérito | El Imperfecto |
| Used for actions viewed as completed or finished. It is "done". | Used for ongoing, progressive, habitual, or repetitive actions. Gives background information or description. |
| The action includes a reference to a beginning or an end. | The action has no reference to a beginning or end. |
| The action is time specific in the past. | The action is not time specific. |
| Expresses what happened. | Expresses what was happening. Also, expresses date, time, age, and emotions. |
There are instances where both tenses may appear in one sentence.
In past tense, when there is an action that gets interrupted by another action, that background action in progress is in the imperfect; it is interrupted by a sudden action, which uses the preterite.
For example:
Pepe and Julio were talking when Cali entered the room.Also, when someone is telling a story and there is an indirect statement after the speakers' statement, the indirect statement uses the Imperfect and the speakers' statement uses the preterite.
For example:
Carlos told me that he was going to wait.
Select the "+" below to see sample sentences. Pay attention to the highlighted clue words (pistas) to help differentiate between the two tenses.
| El Pretérito | El Imperfecto | |
|
Lupe caminó su perro ayer. | Lupe siempre caminaba su perro. |
|
Anoche Patty se acostó muy tarde. | Patty se acostaba muy tarde todas las noches. |
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Anteayer por la tarde los muchachos se reunieron y hablaron por dos horas. | Los muchachos se reunían y hablaban siempre. |
|
El sábado pasado hizo un día muy bonito y la familia Villas fue al parque. | Hacía mucho sol y calor. La familia Villas estaba en el parque. |
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Ayer, en el concierto hizo mucho calor. | En el concierto hacía mucho calor. |
|
Ayer, el brindis de los novios fue muy bonito y emocionante. | En las bodas de mi pueblo, el brindis de los novios siempre era bonito y emocionante. |
¿Comprendiste?Now, let's see if you can figure it out on your own. Do not forget to analyze why you are using each particular tense in the sentence. Remember, both tenses may appear in one sentence, depending on the context. Here are some practice sentences:
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