Preterite vs Imperfect--How do you know which one to use?

Preterite vs Imperfect lesson for Spanish teachers: How to teach when to use which

Preterite vs Imperfect Lesson

Free Preterite vs Imperfect lesson

This is the perfect 3-5 day lesson plan for teaching preterite vs imperfect uses

In Spanish, the Preterite vs Imperfect is a tricky concept. Both of these tenses are used to talk about past events. Which one is used depends on the meaning the speaker wishes to convey.

Click below to get the FULL lesson and ALL activities about these two verbs today!

Spanish teachers, this is a great mini-lesson comparing and contrasting the uses of the preterite and imperfect verb tenses though a short comprehensible video that takes place in Costa Rica and an authentic text about an aspiring artist in Mexico City. 

INTRODUCTION

My students are often confused about when to use the two past tenses the Preterite and Imperfect. These two past tenses are a complex grammar topic for second language learners to grasp. As teachers, we have all types of tricks and tools up our sleeves. This lesson is full of authentic and realistic ways for students to learn the differences between these two verbs.

My students enjoy the video, short story, online quiz and the acronym in this lesson; it gives them a ton of practice and helps them keep all the uses in order. They also enjoy any lesson that has a life application project in it. This is a multi-day lesson that you can use, tweak, differentiate and implement in your classes. Have fun with it! By the way, let me know how it goes by sharing your student’s projects here on our Facebook page and/or giving me feedback directly.

This lesson includes:

  • A 3 minute comprehensible video in Spanish that takes place in Costa Rica
  • A short story all about a young man following his dream to be a musician in Mexico
  • An easy to memorize acronym that helps students keep the uses straight
  • Practice activities
  • On-line quiz that gives instant results and helpful tips
  • A life-application project
  • An easy to implement lesson template for teachers

Preterite & Imperfect Video: “Cerca Eléctrica

Click below to download the FREE complete lesson plan which includes activities, video recommendations, practice exercises and life application project instructions.

If you’re ready to test your knowledge on preterite and imperfect verb tenses, take the 12 question quiz!


Preterite and Imperfect Quiz

Before you press “Start Quiz”, take a moment to review the topics and specifics for this quiz:

Topics:

  • Conjugating verbs in the preterite and imperfect past tenses in Spanish; regular & irregulars. 
  • Choosing between the preterite and imperfect given the context. 

Here are some helpful tips to complete the quiz successfully:

  • Since accents are an essential part of conjugating verbs in Spanish, this quiz requires you to use accents.  Click here to learn how to enable accents on your computer.  Or copy and paste the letters with accents provided. 
  • Accents on mobile and tablet devices: Go to your settings and add the Spanish keyboard to your device. 
  • This quiz is to practice! Take it as many times as you need to!
  • It’s highly recommended to practice with the Quizlets embedded in the online course before taking this quiz.
  • Google Chrome is the preferred browser; it has been tested extensively; it’s probably easier to navigate this quiz on a computer.  
  • ¡Buena suerte!

Special Spanish Characters that you may need during your quiz:

á, é, í, ó, ú, ü, ñ, ¿, ¡

Copy and paste this characters when needed,

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