In Spanish, there are several past tenses used to talk about actions that happened in the past. The most commonly used past tenses are the preterite, imperfect, and past perfect.
- Preterite (Pretérito perfecto simple): Used for actions that are completed and specific in the past. For example: Hablé (I spoke), Comí (I ate), Viví (I lived).
- Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto): Used for ongoing or repeated past actions, descriptions, or background information. For example: Hablaba (I was speaking), Comía (I used to eat), Vivía (I lived/was living).
- Past Perfect (Pretérito pluscuamperfecto): Used to describe an action that happened before another past action. Formed with the imperfect of haber + past participle. For example: Había hablado (I had spoken).
Understanding when and how to use these past tenses is key to telling stories and describing past experiences in Spanish.
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Table of Contents
- Preterite Tense
The Spanish preterite tense is used to talk about actions that were completed in the past. It shows what happened, when it happened, and that the action is finished.
- Irregular Preterite Verbs
Irregular preterite verbs in Spanish are verbs that do not follow regular conjugation patterns in the past tense. These verbs have unique ... and help you express actions that are completed and happened at a specific point in the past.
- Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense in Spanish describes past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or background events. It is used for setting scenes, expressing repeated actions, or talking about what used to happen.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
