Practice distinguishing between the preterite and imperfect tenses.

Read the sentences and conjugate the verbs in the preterite or

imperfect.

Cuando yo _____ (ser) joven, yo siempre ______ (visitar) a

mis abuelos en la costa oeste de Puerto Rico.

Cuando yo era joven, yo siempre visitaba a mis

abuelos en la costa oeste de Puerto Rico.

Imperfect is used in both because it means used to be, and used to visit.

Una vez yo _____ (ir) a Puerto Rico.

Una vez yo __fui___ (ir) a Puerto Rico.

Preterite is used to mean I went. The phrase one time implies that it is a completed action in the past.

Mis abuelos ______ (vivir) en una pequeña casa que

______ (estar) enfrente de una de las playas más

bonitas en la isla.

Mis abuelos vivían en una pequeña casa que estaba

enfrente de una de las playas más bonitas en la

isla.

Imperfect is used in both because it is description in the past with no specific time period.

Cada vez que yo _______ (llegar) mis abuelos ______ (hacer) lo mismo: _______

(preparar) una comida grande y me ______

(preguntar) como las cosas me ____ (ir) en la escuela.

Cada vez que yo llegaba mis abuelos hacían lo

mismo: preparaban una comida grande y me

preguntaban como las cosas me iban en la escuela.

Imperfect is used in all verbs because the verbs mean used to do. The phrase cada (each) implies habitual past action.

Ayer yo_____ (acostarse) a las diez.

Ayer yo__me acosté___ (acostarse) a las diez.

Preterite is used because the verb mean I went to bed and it is a completed action in the past. The word ayer (yesterday) implies a completed action.

Las olas generalmente ____ (ser) grandes.

Las olas generalmente _eran___ (ser) grandes.

Imperfect is used for past description. It means the waves were generally big. There is no time period. Also, the word generally hints at habitual past action.

Tú _____ (empezar) la tarea a las once el sábado

pasado.

Tú _empezaste__ (empezar) la tarea a las once el sábado

pasado.

Preterite is used because the verb mean I went to bed and it is a completed action in the past. The phrase a las once el sábado pasado (at eleven last Sat.) implies a completed action. Also, starting and ending actions are usually preterite.

___ (ser) las tres.

_Eran___ (ser) las tres.

Imperfect is used to tell time in the past.

Cuando yo ____ (tener) ocho años, siempre ___

(jugar) afuera.

Cuando yo _tenía___ (tener) ocho años, siempre

_jugaba__ (jugar) afuera.

Age in the past is imperfect. Think of it as description in the past. The second verb is in the imperfect because it implies habitual past action. Siempre means always and is a signal word for imperfect.

Anoche yo_____ (leer) un libro.

Anoche yo__leí___ (leer) un libro.

The verb is in the preterite because the action happened one time and the action is completed in the past. The word anoche (last night) is a signal word for preterite.

El fin