The Preterite vs. the Imperfect

In this lesson, students will learn to distinguish between the two past tenses in Spanish, the preterite and the imperfect. The tenses have already been learned seperately. Now, the students will learn how to use the tenses together. There are marked differences in the uses of the two.

The students will need to know how to conjugate in the preterite and imperfect tenses and should also know the basic uses.

The students should note that the imperfect is used for: any actions that happened many times in the past, time and age,and an activity that was in progress in the past when another activity took place. The preterite, on the other hand, is used to talk about the beginning or end of and action in the past, an action that is completed, and with hacer to experss "ago". It should also be mentioned that there are some key phrases to look out for when using each tense. For example, when using the imperfect, the following phrases will often be seen: todos los días, generalment, siempre, and muchas veces. When using the preterite, look for: a specific day of the week like el lunes, ayer, el fin de semana pasado, un día, and una vez.

You can do classroom book activities to practice the uses of the two tenses and a traditional pencil and paper test can be given. I also like to give a project. I tell the students they must write a children's book in the past in Spanish. This allows them to use both tense. The first step would be to divide the class into groups. I always do 2 per group, although more can be added if necessary. They must then work together to come up with a theme for their book. For example, "El primer día de clases de Carla". The students must make sure to use both tenses in the story. They are responsible for choosing the right tense based on the notes and practice. I usually provide tim ein class to work on this project to make sure the students are both doing their share and that work is progressing. I also think that the students should illustrate the books. You may want to consider this in your grouping of students.

This project could be done on the computer using a variety of programs. So if the students would like to do it that way, they will need a computer with the proper program installed.