Preterite vs Imperfect Quiz: Test Your Spanish Grammar Skills
The difference between the pretérito (preterite) and the imperfecto (imperfect) is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish grammar — and one of the most important. Both tenses describe the past, but they do different jobs: the pretérito indefinido tells what happened, and the pretérito imperfecto sets the scene. Choosing wrong changes the meaning of the sentence, which is why this distinction trips up learners for years.
This quiz puts that choice to the test. Across 48 questions in four sets, you’ll practice deciding between indefinido and imperfecto in realistic sentences — completed actions vs. ongoing background, habitual past vs. specific events, and the classic “was doing X when Y happened” pattern. Each question gives instant feedback with a short explanation.
