Estar/ser - past tense versus imperfect?

Question

Could someone please explain when I would use estar and ser in preterite versus imperfect?

Answer 1

Hi, Rebecca. First of all, great question. It has taken me a while to wrap my own head around this, but through practice and repetition, it has become much more natural!

I will give you a straight answer to your question first, then follow it with examples that I hope will make it clear and remove any confusion.

The Preterite tense refers to things that have happened in the past, in a specific moment of time.

The Imperfect refers to things that started in the past but were not necessarily completed or finished in the same moment they were started.

One way my own Spanish tutor explained it to me was that the preterite speaks to that one time you did that one thing in the past.

And the imperfect speaks to that thing you did that may or may not have ended in the past.

Now for some examples of each.

Preterite

Toqué la guitarra- I played the guitar. "There was this one time I played guitar".

Fui al mercado- I went to the market. "I went to the Market. Then I left."

Fuiste al playa- You went to the beach. "Last Wednesday, you went to the beach."

Conocí a Michael en 2010- I met Michael in 2010. (Statement of fact). That one event happened that one time.

Imperfect

Yo tocaba la guitarra- I played the guitar. "Yeah, I played guitar..." Notice the difference! This implies that you might STILL play guitar, or you may have played for a few years. The END of the action is not set in the past.

Iba al mercado- I went/was going to the market. "For that period of time, I was going to the market..." Again, the difference here is that this statement does not necessarily point to one moment in the past.

Ibas al playa- You went/were going to the beach "You went to the beach a lot back then..."

Conocia a Michael in 2010- I knew Michael in 2010.

This rule also applies for the use of Ser and Estar.

Era contento (I was happy back then...)

Estaba contento (I was happy about that one thing that happened)

Eramos enojado (We were angry people...)

Estabamos enojado (We were angry about that one thing)

Eras un buen amigo (You were a good friend...)

Estabas un buen amigo (You were a good friend that one time).

I hope this helps, Rebecca. Good luck on mastering Spanish!

Answer 2

Hola Rebecca,

I hope you are doing well.

Let me concisely answer your question and then you can follow up if this is not sufficient.

Estar is basically for temporary actions or situations. For example, if someone asks you where you are at this particular moment you would use estar. For instance, yo estoy a la escuela. I am at school. Later you will not be there.

Ser is for perhis manent or ongoing situations. If you meet a new friend via internet and the friend asks you which city you lived you feel closest to. You might answer I am a Philadelphian Yo soy una persona de Philadelphia.

BTW, you don't need to use yo when you use either verb in the first person.

Please let me know if this was at all helpful.

Me gustaria darle mas ayuda si usted desea.

Hasta luego,

Howard Sage

Estar/ser - past tense versus imperfect?

Could someone please explain when I would use estar and ser in preterite versus imperfect?