When do you use the imperfect/preterite past tense?

A good way to remember which form of the past tense to use is to think about when the action took place. The imperfect (with endings -aba and -ía) is used for continuous actions in the past, so you would use it when talking about what you used to do on a regular basis when you were younger, or anything action or situation that did not have a defined starting and ending point.The preterite, or simple past (endings -é, -aste, -ó etc.) is used for singular, completed actions in the past. You use the preterite to talk about what you did yesterday, at the weekend, or during the holidays – these are common questions in GCSE. Don’t forget the accents!