how do you distinguish the difference between preterite and imperfect use in a sentence?

This was always my favorite thing to teach. The difference makes Spanish so rich.

The Preterit is to show an action that had both a beginning and an end. Imagine a series of photos: he got up / he got washed / he got dressed / he ate breakfast / he left the house. / / / /
Here you have a series of events, each one begun and completed. The English meanings are like: he washed, he DID wash

The Imperfect on the other hand concentrates on the middle of something. Imagine a movie camera grinding away: he was getting up = obviously he began to get up but as far as we know he as never finished that. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ (to show something was going on. The English meanings would be: he was getting up, he used to get up (repeated action over and over), he got up. The tertiary (third) meaning overlaps with the Preterit and therefore requires more thinking as to whether he DID get up or he WAS gettING up.

In telling a story, the Imperfect paints the scenery or background and the Preterit interrupts with the action.

Feel free to ask questions as you go along. Some verbs have a special meaning in the Preterit or Imperfect and Time is always the Imperfect. This explanation will at least get you started.

Sra

To distinguish between the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish, you need to consider the specific time frame and the type of action that occurred in a sentence.

Here are some guidelines to help you differentiate between the preterite and imperfect:

1. Preterite Tense:
- The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions or events that happened at a specific point in the past.
- It indicates actions performed in the past that have a clear starting and ending point.
- Signal words that often accompany the preterite tense include "ayer" (yesterday), "anoche" (last night), "la semana pasada" (last week), etc.
- Examples: "Juan llegó temprano a la fiesta." (Juan arrived early at the party.) "María comió una manzana." (Maria ate an apple.)

2. Imperfect Tense:
- The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions or events that do not have a clear starting or ending point.
- It indicates actions that were repeated, descriptions, background information, or actions in progress in the past.
- Signal words that often accompany the imperfect tense include "siempre" (always), "todos los días" (every day), "mientras" (while), "de niño" (as a child), etc.
- Examples: "Juan jugaba fútbol cada tarde." (Juan used to play soccer every afternoon.) "María estaba caminando por el parque." (Maria was walking in the park.)

To determine whether to use the preterite or imperfect tense in a sentence, consider the context, the duration of the action, and whether the action is completed or ongoing in the past. Practice with various examples to develop a better understanding of when to employ each tense.