Note: I changed the order of my chapters so that we aren't completely stumped once we get to the other ways haber is used. Also, this chapter covers Preterite vs. Imperfect.
In my last chapter over past tense, I alluded to there being two past tenses in Spanish, just as there are two verbs meaning to be in Spanish. This is the time when we will cover that other tense. Welcome, my friends, to past imperfect.
Preterite and imperfect, just like ser and estar, both have their times and places. Below are the uses of preterite and imperfect. Examples of preterite can be found in my past preterite chapter, but the examples for imperfect will be covered towards the end of this chapter, as always.
Preterite uses:
● Used for actions that have a definite beginning and ending.
● Also used for completed actions.
Imperfect Uses:
● Habitual actions (like brushing your teeth)
● Interrupted actions
● Times and dates
● Past age
● Characteristics
● States (mental or physical conditions)
(I think that preterite is pretty straightforward, but let's make a mnemonic device so we remember imperfect.)
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Hopefully, that's helpful. More examples of this tense will be given at the end of each time you use imperfect. Now let's look at the conjugations. The first ending is for -ar verbs and the second is for -er and -ir verbs:
Yo: -aba, -ía
Tú: -abas, -ías
Él, ella, ud.: -aba, -ía
Nosotros: -ábamos, -íamos
Vosotros: -abais, -íais
Ellos/ellas, uds.: -aban, -ían
Examples!!
Yo cepillaba mi pelo cada de día. ｜I brushed my hair each day. (habitual action)
Estabas leyendo cuando el telefóno sonó. ｜You were reading when the phone rang. (interrupted action)
Era viente y nueve de abril. ｜It was April 29th. (past date)
Tenía tres años. ｜You were three years old.* (past age)
Teníamos pelos cortos y ojos azules. ｜We had long hair and blue eyes. (characteristics)
*A note on this: in Spanish, the literal translation for "I am __ years old" is "I have __years".
Another thing before I go: I don't know how many of you guys are doing European Spanish, so I must ask: do you want me to give examples for vosotros? I learned Latin American Spanish so I am not used to it, but I have the conjugations written down. Let me know if you want more vosotros.
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