#imperfect

[criminal-sen]

as much drama and turmoil as Imperfect has, i think this ship is sooooo fucking funny

[wordsofwisdomandsoul]

[spanishskulduggery]

hi, I was wondering when to switch between the imperfect and preterite tenses? I’ve been reading some spanish texts and I’ve noticed that the imperfect is the main tense used, but I also see the preterite thrown in sometimes.

I'll link to my other things I've done on this in a reblog since I'm on my phone atm but it comes down to narration vs action a lot of the time

In linguistic terms "perfect" means "completed" [lit. "thoroughly done"], so "imperfect" means "not yet completed"... the imperfect tense is used for things that may or may not still be happening or continuing, so it is often used for narration and description

Imperfect is often used for:

narration, description

continuous past ("was doing", "was eating", "was sleeping")

used to, was in the habit of

telling time - always imperfect (era la una, eran las dos, etc)

soler + infinitive as "used to" as past tense is ALWAYS imperfect; there is no preterite form accepted so you normally only see soler in present tense "to be in the habit of" and imperfect "used to"

Preterite is commonly called "simple past", where it is things that happened and are done, and they are actions

In terms of reading, it's more that imperfect introduces something and describes it, while the preterite shows an "interruption" or "the action"

A common example I like to use:

Dormía y sonaba el teléfono. = I was sleeping and the phone was ringing. [imperfect + imperfect; no interruption, background description] Dormía y sonó el teléfono. = I was sleeping and the phone rang. [imperfect + preterite; involves an "interruption" of an "action" to the background description]

If you use the two imperfect, it sounds like someone was sleeping through the phone ringing, and/or that the phone ringing was part of the background. If you use imperfect and then preterite, it implies the preterite was a sudden occurrence that breaks up the narration.

...

But please be aware that most verbs can exist in the two different tenses and it becomes a matter of how they're understood...

Assuming 3rd person singular - se dormía would be "was falling asleep", while se durmió would be "fell asleep"

Sometimes it really depends on the mood - especially with ser and estar in preterite or imperfect - like you don't see too much difference between ¿dónde estabas? "where were you?" vs. ¿dónde estuviste? "where were you?" except in context where preterite feels more like interrogation "where were you (at that specific time)?"

...

There are a handful of verbs that change meaning depending on preterite and imperfect

I'll link things below that will explain it more but in general be wary of:

poder

no poder

querer

no querer

conocer

saber

haber

And also tener. Where normally tener is imperfect as preterite tener can come across as "to obtain", but there are so many idiomatic ways of using tener like "hungry", "thirsty", "hot/cold", and your age that there are times when preterite could be used. Still, in general, preterite tener is most often a synonym of conseguir or obtener as "to get"

-

Additional links:

A Linguistic Perspective on the Spanish Past

More in-depth explanation of imperfect

Using soler

The imperfect tag

The preterite tag

Preterite and Imperfect Contrasted from Bowdoin

Spanish Tenses & Moods Masterpost

[nobeerreviews]

We are all wonderful, beautiful wrecks. That's what connects us - that we're all broken, all beautifully imperfect.

-- Emilio Estevez

(Barcelona)

[prfm-multiverse]

[alpha-beta-gamer]

Imperfect is a dark psychological horror adventure where picture frames reveal hidden monsters and objects!

Read More & Sign Up For The Beta (Steam)

Gameplay Video:

[tragedybunny]

Reading "Imperfect" today. It almost killed me, literally cried for a minute. Fulgrim’s guilt is palpable, along with his desperation for some sort of absolution. And he'll never be able to get back that great love he once had, never be forgiven.

[maraneedscoffee]

Just asking, but minus magic and all that, does Rafal permanently have a limp? I don't recall he got it fixed right away. In fact, it wasn't healing properly, and I wonder if it was too late to fix it by the time Rhian noticed.

[serenityquest]

[thxrnking]

Legacy of the Thorn King | Wanderlust

 Wanderlust hesitates, pinning Jack with a determined look.

“I’m coming back. You can ignore me all you want. Walk off, kick me out, shove me. I don’t care. You won’t change my mind.“ Wanderlust points over Jack's shoulder to his mother in the corridors beyond. “Neither will she.”

Imperfect | Overkill | Legacy | The Thorn King

[bernardreneguillot]

GARDIEN DE PHARE/ DIPTYQUE

[wordsofwisdomandsoul]

[criminal-sen]

NEW CHAPTER OF IMPERFECT IS UP!!!! (18+, read my warnings n tags) I am not liable for any crying or screaming that may ensue upon reading<3

[maxandkon]

Sotha Sil definitely did not expect this

[prfm-multiverse]

[paradoxolotl]

I want to write a book