Preterit vs. Imperfect Imperfecto Pretérito 1. Action viewed as completed a) NO ACTION: Descriptions, (*usually only happened once) location, time, weather, age, 2. Emphasis on a specific physical appearance, numbers of repetitions personality traits, physical and 3. Emphasis on a specific emotional states, attitudes, timeframe 4. Changes in emotional states needs and desires. b) Habits / “used to” translates as and desires. 5. Changes in meaning. the impf c) In progress / While one action Particularly “saber = found is taking place (impf.), out”, and “conocer = meet for something happens that the first time” interrupts it (pret.) 1. Viajé a Paris. (unless more information is provided, listener will initially believe it was only once) b) Viajaba a París mucho. 2. Viajé a París 3 veces. 3. Cuando tenía trece años viajé a Paris. a) Su casa estaba en la calle Picasso. Eran las 4 de la tarde. / Era junio / Era el año 1894. / Cuando era niño. Llovía / nevaba / hacía frío / había mucho viento Tenía cuatro años. Era alto. Tenía pelo negro, y era simpático. Estaba triste / le dolía el cuello. Note that timeframes themselves are expressed with the impf. But if the emphasis is placed on them, the pret. is used in the other sentence (the timeframe remains in the impf. as the only possibility.) Ex: “Eran las cuatro cuando fui a su casa” 4. Cuando vio a Pedro, Elena se puso roja./ Quiso darle un beso / se sintió contenta. c) Yo hablaba por teléfono cuando alguien llamó a la puerta. ((I was talking on the phone, when somebody knocked on the door)). The impf. is a good translation for the English “was/were + -ing”. Ex: “Ella cruzaba la calle”. She was crossing the road. b) Iba allí a menudo (Note that this sentence already means “I used to go there often”. You could also say: “Solía ir allí a menudo”. “Soler” is the translation for “used to”, but the impf. already implies this meaning) 5. Some verbs take on a different connotation when used in the preterite—the imperfect always maintains the original meaning. The most important ones are “saber” which changes to “found out” and “conocer”, which implies “to meet a person for the first time”. • Yo sabía cuando era el examen. I knew when the test was. • Yo supe cuando es el examen. I found out when the test is. • Yo conocí a John en 2007. I met John in 2007. • Yo conocía a John en 207. I knew John in 2007. All of these are clear cut examples of the uses. But when we speak, our sentences are more complicated than that… Then is when the speaker negotiates the emphasis, and to highlight one aspect of other of what he’s saying, he must use the pret. or the impf. 1) Cuando tenía 13 años fui a Paris. (unless more information is provided, listener will initially believe it was only once. The emphasis is on the timeframe. At that age.) a) Cuando tenía 13 años iba a Paris muchas veces. (We have a timeframe, but the emphasis is on the habit. The speaker wants to emphasize the “used to”). 2) Cuando tenía 13 años fui a Paris 4 veces (emphasis on the specific number of times) 3) Cuando tenía 13 años fui a Paris muchas veces (We have a habit—which initially would take imperfect--, but here the speaker chooses to emphasize the timeframe)