Reply #13: Look at it like this [View All]

[Maestro]

The preterite is simply a description of an action that is done, completed, finished. It started and then it ended. Some examples include: Estudié anoche. Hablamos por teléfono. Whereas the imperfect is a description on an ongoing action as it is described in the past. This commonly is used in English with the past tense of the helping verb, to be in the past plus the gerund form of the verb. This is called the past progressive. An example of this would be. I was reading my book.

The imperfect is known as the story telling conjugation. As others have described, it can be used to describe an interrupted past action. Comía la cena cuando el teléfono sonó. The phone rang and that event is over. My eating was interuppted, therefore the imperfect must be used. Cuando yo era niño, jugaba el béisbol. Here I am describing, in a narrative form, my childhood. Any narrative descriptions of the past are mostly imperfect, but NOT always. George Washington fue el primer presidente. Here are you describing an event that started and ended. Even though it could be seen as a narrative description of the past, it describes an event that is done.

There are many more nuances that are involved in understanding these two forms, but for what you are doing this will suffice. If you have questions, let me know or if anybody else has questions, let me know.