DELE A2 Preterite vs Imperfect: Practice Test & Review

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Preterite and imperfect both translate to the English past tense, but they are not interchangeable. The preterite describes completed actions — what happened. The imperfect describes ongoing actions, habits, and descriptions — what was happening or what used to happen. This contrast decides every past-tense sentence on the DELE A2 exam.

This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the contrast, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation. Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.

Grammar Guide

The Rule

Preterite and imperfect both describe the past, but they do different jobs. The preterite describes completed actions — what happened. The imperfect describes ongoing actions, habits, and descriptions — what was happening or what used to happen.

The preterite is the “event” tense. The imperfect is the “background” tense.

Ayer fui al cine = Yesterday I went to the cinema (completed event).
Cuando era niño, iba al cine = When I was a child, I used to go to the cinema (habit).

Preterite — Completed Actions

Use the preterite for:

Use	Example	Translation
Completed action	Ayer comí paella.	Yesterday I ate paella.
Sequence of events	Llegué, comí y salí.	I arrived, ate, and left.
Specific time marker	El lunes fui al médico.	On Monday I went to the doctor.
Completed duration	Viví en Madrid dos años.	I lived in Madrid for two years.

Time markers that force the preterite: ayer, anoche, la semana pasada, el lunes, el año pasado, en 2020.

Imperfect — Background, Habits, Descriptions

Use the imperfect for:

Use	Example	Translation
Habitual action	Todos los días iba al parque.	Every day I used to go to the park.
Description	La casa era grande.	The house was big.
Age	Tenía diez años.	I was ten years old.
Time	Eran las tres.	It was three o’clock.
Weather	Llovía mucho.	It was raining a lot.
Ongoing action	Mientras leía, sonó el teléfono.	While I was reading, the phone rang.
Mental state	Quería ir contigo.	I wanted to go with you.

Time markers that force the imperfect: antes, cuando era niño, todos los días, siempre, mientras, de niño, cada semana.

The Key Contrast — Narrative

In a narrative, the imperfect sets the scene, and the preterite tells what happened.

Cuando era niño, vivía en Madrid. Un día fui al Prado.
When I was a child, I lived in Madrid. One day I went to the Prado.

• Vivía = background (imperfect). Fui = event (preterite).

Mientras estudiaba, sonó el teléfono.
While I was studying, the phone rang.

• Estudiaba = ongoing action (imperfect). Sonó = interrupting event (preterite).

Interrupted Actions

Pattern	Example	Meaning
Imperfect + preterite	Leía cuando sonó el teléfono.	I was reading when the phone rang.
Preterite + preterite	Llegué y comí.	I arrived and ate.
Imperfect + imperfect	Mientras leía, ella cocinaba.	While I was reading, she was cooking.

The imperfect describes the ongoing action. The preterite describes the interruption or the next event.

Verbs That Change Meaning

Some verbs change meaning depending on the tense.

Verb	Preterite	Imperfect
saber	supe = I found out	sabía = I knew
conocer	conocí = I met	conocía = I knew (someone)
querer	quise = I tried to	quería = I wanted
poder	pude = I managed to	podía = I was able to
tener	tuve = I got	tenía = I had

Supe la verdad = I found out the truth.
Sabía la verdad = I knew the truth.

Common Mistakes

1. Using the preterite for a habitual past action.
   ✗ Cuando era niño, jugué al fútbol todos los días.
   ✓ Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días.
   “Todos los días” signals a habit, not a single event.
2. Using the imperfect for a completed action.
   ✗ Ayer comía paella.
   ✓ Ayer comí paella.
   Ayer with a completed action requires the preterite.
3. Using the preterite for a description.
   ✗ La casa fue grande y luminosa.
   ✓ La casa era grande y luminosa.
   Descriptions use the imperfect, not the preterite.
4. Using the imperfect when telling time in the past.
   ✗ Fueron las tres cuando llegó.
   ✓ Eran las tres cuando llegó.
   Telling time in the past uses the imperfect: eran las tres.

Quick Decision Chart

Ask yourself	Answer	Tense
Is it a completed action?	Yes	Preterite
Is it a sequence of events?	Yes	Preterite
Is there a specific time marker (ayer, el lunes)?	Yes	Preterite
Is it a habit (“used to”)?	Yes	Imperfect
Is it a description?	Yes	Imperfect
Is it age, time, or weather in the past?	Yes	Imperfect
Is it an ongoing action interrupted by another?	Yes	Imperfect + preterite

Two Sentences That Show the Difference

Ayer fui al cine.
Yesterday I went to the cinema.

• Completed event (preterite).

Cuando era niño, iba al cine todos los sábados.
When I was a child, I used to go to the cinema every Saturday.

• Habit in the past (imperfect).

Mientras leía, sonó el teléfono.
While I was reading, the phone rang.

• Ongoing action (imperfect) + interrupting event (preterite).

La película era aburrida.
The movie was boring.

• Description (imperfect).

La película fue aburrida.
The movie was boring (and I watched it from start to finish).

• Completed event with a judgment (preterite).