Phase 5 • Module 5.1

The Past Tenses

To tell a story, you must look back. In Spanish, we have two ways to talk about the past: the **Preterite** (Boom!) and the **Imperfect** (Ongoing).

Pretérito (Completed)

Imperfecto (Description)

Use this for actions that happened once and are **over**. It's a specific point in time.

Ayer comí pizza.
(Yesterday I ate pizza)

Fui a Madrid.
(I went to Madrid)

Key Words:

Ayer, Anoche, La semana pasada, El año pasado.

Use this for "used to," background scenery, time, age, and feelings in the past.

Cuando era niño...
(When I was a kid...)

Hacía sol.
(It was sunny)

Key Words:

Antes, Siempre, Muchas veces, Cada día.

Boom (Preterite) or Setting (Imperfect)?

You can now talk about your past. Next, we look forward to the **Future & Conditional**.

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