Meaning & usagedifficulty 4
preterite vs imperfect
Past tenses with different aspect. Preterite marks completed events with clear boundaries. Imperfect marks habitual, ongoing, or background past actions.
Examples
Ayer ___ una carta.
→ escribí
Single completed event → preterite
De niño ___ todos los días.
→ escribía
Habitual past → imperfect
Mientras ___, sonó el teléfono.
→ escribía
Background interrupted → imperfect
Words in this rule
| Word | Part of speech |
|---|---|
| escribir | VB |
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