Preterite vs. Imperfect. Preterite vs. Imperfect 2 - Spanish Practice. Preterite vs Imperfect. Trying to decide when to use the Preterite and when to use the Imperfect is one of the challenges of learning these two tenses.
Review the uses of the Imperfect and the Preterite, and make a chart for yourself listing the differences. The Imperfect past tense is used to describe a scene while the Preterite is used to list series of completed actions. It can be a little more subtle, especially with verbs that change meaning depending on the tense. Spanish I: Quiz: Preterite-Imperfect Formulas. Spanish I: Preterite-Imperfect Formulas.