Spanish Past Tense: Preterite Vs. Imperfect, Rule of Thumb

Other free preterite/imperfect videos:
spanishdude.com/quickies/pret...
spanishdude.com/quickies/pret...
Premium preterite/imperfect videos:
spanishdude.com/premium/verbs...
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When you're learning present tense conjugation, you have two things to worry about.
First, you have to learn the vocab. You need to know that "trabajar" means "to work" and "hablar" means "to talk".
Second, you need to memorize and practice your verb endings well enough that you can conjugate on the fly. As you're talking.
Well, I've got good news for you.
In the past tense, you don't have to worry about the vocab again. "Trabajar" still means "to work".
But I've also got bad news for you.
There are two past tenses in Spanish. Each with a full conjugation. So that's TWO new sets of endings you have to learn.
And even worse, you have to choose between the two different past tenses! And keep those conjugations straight!
But don't you worry.
I've got a ton of new videos coming your way over the next six weeks--focusing exclusively on the Spanish past tense.
Starting today.
Today's video is the big picture, aerial view.
What's going on?
How's it different than what we do in English?
Why's it give us such trouble?
So just sit back. Relax. And click play.
I'll be back real soon, and we'll go deeper and fill in the holes.
Any questions--please ask!

[@tigerflamingoes4300]

That awkward moment when you learn in 7 minutes what the teacher hasn't been able to make you understand in months...

[@elspanishdude]

Awesome!!! So glad to read this!!!

[@jamuler6919]

Tiger Flamingoes same

[@ToastedAndButter]

@@jpierce8148 LOL! youtube commenters always beastin out

[@provokingpickles1108]

yyyyyaaaaaaassssss!!!! so tru!!!

[@rehema_harry]

yep i know the feeling

[@fergar9264]

I am an Spanish native speaker and can tell it's a good rule , and it works almost all the time , anyway I would like to give u and advice about the Spanish conjugations , the advice is ; when you are speaking Spanish forget the conjugations not to try to use them in the beginning , JUST SPEAK USING INFINITIVES , speaking Spanish using infinitives in the same way you speak english is perfectly understandable even I would say that is better to speak just with infinitives than to use bad the conjugations ,of course when you are writing try to use them properly , my experience teaching Spanish to english speakers tells me that is very hard in the beginning for you to try to conjugate the verbs ,you lost a lot of time working out the proper conjugation and that makes the conversation very slow and difficult , even with people who have a a vast Spanish vocabulary , it is nightmare to memorise all the conjugations in past present and future and it does not work that way , you will pick up the conjugation speaking and reading Spanish in natural and intuitive way meanwhile try to speak as much as you can without trying to work out the proper conjugation in the very moment . For the Spanish speakers once we learn english vocabulary is very easy to build sentences in the past , future or conditional and we can start to communicate in english since the very first day , the handicap for the beginners learning is spanish is that you get jammed trying to work out the proper conjugation and that makes the communication very frustrating above all for you so if you can not say the proper conjugation in the very moment don't think just use the infinite , with time and practice the proper conjugations will come to you in a natural way . This advice is just for oral communication , the important thing is to start to speak as soon as possible , you have to know that the Spanish verbs have to be conjugated but as a beginners you don't have to use them and remember speaking spanish using infinitives is perfectly understandable much better than to get jammed every five seconds working out the proper conjugation

[@jg6551]

My family has a nanny who only speak spanish and all i do is use infinitives. She also taught me a few words too. great tip. it really helps

[@pjrogers8333]

Fer Gar That would probably help when I’m talking but not in school when I have a test on it.

[@MethodOverRide]

Great advice. Mil gracias por eso.

[@saiyanbro]

Thank you for this.. i’ve been learning preterite, past perfect, future and imperative mood. It’s all swimming in my head and after awhile I can stumble upon the right conjunction. Indicative is easy for me. I’ll try speaking with imperatives. Are you on the apps hellotalk or tandem ?

[@bonitavalientelucy1119]

Honestly im struggling with all these conjugations etc. , when and how to use and put it all in my mind all at the same time. Im self studying spanish for 4 weeks now. Saludos desde Philippines !Gracias! Buena idea!

[@alexdunaway150]

dude... do you like... ever blink?

[@elspanishdude]

+Alex Dunaway No

[@LubomirPotocki]

+Alex Dunaway He blinks just when you do:)

[@neeneethenurse618]

+Alex Dunaway LOL

[@LiaraJane]

it's edited out 😂😂

[@Mario_1611]

You can't blink while speaking spanish

[@theojackson5088]

I didn't blink in my speaking exam. I got 100%

[@elspanishdude]

Jajjajajaajj GOOD JOB!!!

[@claireensor3760]

I think Theo's point is that when we are focused not on grammar but on sharing a message, we just use what "sounds right." Chompsky, Krashen, and most linguists support the theory that the brain just acquires grammar naturally when given comprehensible input. Ironically, not focusing on grammar charts is the best way to pick up grammar.

[@user-up7it4wx4b]

@@claireensor3760 nah

[@sameritaco]

what you came here for starts at 4:00

[@bozokluoglu_]

and ends at 6:20

[@stuntm7n]

thank you so much this guy talks bullshit for like 5 minutes straight

[@diamonddog2638]

@@stuntm7n Maybe bullshit to you. But I enjoy understanding everything rather than just knowing how to speak. It definitely wasn't bullshit at all.

[@russellkid630]

100% Correct

[@86_trap_bot69]

thx

[@ItsJustJess269]

This made me laugh LOL but anyways anybody else watching this before finals in a few hours hahaha

[@josephrusso1659]

i have a mid-term for Spanish 2 in less than two hours lol yo soy muy estudioso

[@aiihairyou1336]

Lmaoo same 😌😌😌

[@curbgang...1036]

same tho lmao mines in an hour

[@Isebelle13]

Got a spanish 2 final in less then five hours, I am speed watching all the relevant Spanish Dude videos lol

[@seasickcaptain5249]

@@Isebelle13 SAME LOLOLOLOLOL

[@tajiahgallegos6375]

this helped so much. my teacher can't teach!

[@elspanishdude]

+Tajiah Gallegos My pleasure. That's why I'm here! I had the same experience you did =)

[@GeneralPurgenet]

my teacher is french and keeps doing the throat thing for the tongue roles. smh

[@UltimateBreloom]

Uvular Trill instead of an Alveolar trill. French uses an Uvular Trill.

[@Hezulmen320]

Wait, if you are trying to speak spanish, how do you pronounce your name then?

[@diya.barakat]

😂😂😂

[@lucasstuart-chilcote7069]

He made a strong fact with high school Spanish courses at 6:25. We move so fast and rapidly in the high school courses. If it is the first time for some to be exposed to this, like myself, it is very tough to absorb and understand all this information and move on to the next topic in class the next day. Sure I am in my 3rd year of Spanish, but have I really understood everything up to now? Nope... These videos surely help.

[@shanenanigans27]

Really because my Spanish class is slow and I wish we would go faster...

[@universalcerberus5863]

I agree. Heck, I even found Latin class to be better paced.

[@20thirty19]

My spanish class is so slow it's so boring.

[@jonettheonly]

Lucas Stuart-Chilcote my Spanish class moved to slow. We never learned tenses beyond the present. Can you believe that? We never learned moods either. A whole school year of classes. Ridiculous.

[@notreknipa]

Fascinating. I've had a couple of different Spanish courses, and my experience is that a lot of time is spent on vocabulary, but not so much on the grammar you need in order to use it, resulting in it being simultaneously too fast and too slow.

[@brodysmith2729]

This guy taught me more in 5 minutes then my Spanish class did in a semester

[@josephboyle9973]

than

[@twstdreality]

I guess your English teacher isn’t that great as well 😂

[@madnesslocura7620]

I learned more borning in a spanish country. SAQUENME DE LATINOAMÉRICA!

[@rohanmathew7543]

7 mins 50 secs

[@moshpot]

Mate, your an absolute legend. i've had many silent screams in my head trying to learn this. im surprised there isnt a different conjugation rule for when theres a full moon or when your name is Ken and its Tuesday. OK rant over. Great vid anywho.

[@elspanishdude]

Thank you! Love this comment! I have to admit though, I did Google "Ken Tuesday" -- didn't help much. Little over my head...

[@sapitron]

hahahhahaha I'm a native Spanish speaker and thought the same when I started to the learn the German cases and their declinations......... absolute hell...........

[@jesslocd]

I've been trying to make sense of this for the longest!!! I have a private spanish teacher, but she is a native speaker and can't understand why i struggle with this, because its so natural for her. You just cleared up like 85% of my questions with just this video!! Thanks so much for helping me make sense of it... Going to watch the other videos now!! :)

[@elspanishdude]

Chy The Writer Awesome! I love to read message like this. Thanks, I'm glad it helped. I assume you found the other two related videos, that are even more important in my opinion: gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-life-lessons/ gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-one-more-thing/

[@sagalali24]

OMG! I have done half of a degree in Spanish, spent time in Madrid and now am marrying a Spanish man. There is no one, or any class I have been to that has explained it so very clearly! This is what trips me up on level tests from B1 to B2 level. I think teachers should copy you! Thank you so much!

[@lukerb52]

Lol trabajaba is so fun to say

[@mckenziemiller7646]

Luke Bubar try: Hablaba

[@mariselalopez55]

Wth 😂

[@EmTreasure88]

ikr!!!

[@Blondesax]

Or trabajabamos!

[@JoeMama-uk7et]

Hablabamos

[@TheRyanmanVideos]

My spanish teacher sucks. Thanks for clearing this up for me.

[@elspanishdude]

My pleasure! Glad you found me.

[@raecrothers1420]

I am a native French speaker, so I have always found it easier to learn Spanish from a French perspective as their grammars are so similar. But I have not been able to master this topic because the past tense is one of the few areas French and Spanish grammar diverge. I live in Spanish daily now that I have moved to Mexico and my difficulty with this topic is getting to be embarrassing. So I decided to see if trying it from an English perspective might help. Well, I finally had my lightbulb moment. One of big problems is that I have been overthinking it. You just helped me figure out a super quick way to decide which one to use. “I worked” is a shorter phrase than “I used to work”. Trabajé is a shorter verb that trabajaba. Generally speaking, the imperfect conjugation ends up with longer words than the preterite, so use the longer imperfect when you would use the longer English phrase. This trick doesn’t work with ser and estar, but with most of the regular verbs, it’s going to be a huge help.

[@user-sp5kc5yx8s]

Just saved my life

[@khadijambodj2781]

Thank you I feel like imperfect is imparfait And prétérit is passé composé

[@carsonbailey7090]

90%? I could do with a 90%.

[@elspanishdude]

+Carson Bailey Heck ya!

[@coweenuhm9662]

My thoughts exactly lol

[@jaxbell3326]

That’s enough for me 😂

[@crystalnegron1563]

"I think every other verb... i dont teach english" 😂

[@caitlynclark6916]

Thank you so much I have a quiz tomorrow over preterite vs imperfect and this helped a ton!

[@elspanishdude]

+Caitlyn Clark My pleasure! Hope the quiz went well. I did a follow up video to this video, make sure you see that one too: gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-life-lessons/. Oh this one too: gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-one-more-thing/

[@caitlynclark6916]

aced it! thank you so much I'll check it out!

[@samuelserranoruiz6870]

+Caitlyn Clark hi ! i am spanish native speaker, can u teach me english please?

[@aayushpatel8789]

+chibolo pulpin I can if it's not too late.

[@v.michelle2771]

sameeee tryna grauduate

[@kaitlyntaylor2411]

I’m glad you focused on WHEN to use it. I knew what the ending were, but needed a trick to know when to use Imperfect vs. preterit.

[@AS39385]

Thanks for making this clear. I've been taking a Spanish class for the past few months and the past tense seemed like an enigma until now...I've got my final exam in a couple days and I'm so glad I found your channel before the exam!

[@TheButterpecants]

I could kiss you! I moved to South America a little over a year ago and I had a Spanish speaker teaching me Spanish. She said to use the imperfect for "used to" phrases, but I noticed that the other speakers here were using it in a manner that didn't follow her rule. NOW, finally, it's a little clearer. Thank you!

[@elspanishdude]

You're welcome! And this is just a rule of thumb too. But it's pretty good. This is the first in a three part series. Did you see the next two? It hits specific situations better. spanishdude.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-life-lessons spanishdude.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-one-more-thing

[@diamondarrow4567]

Where is flint LOCKWOOD!

[@Goldguy92]

I have a test tomorrow about preterite vs imperfect. Hopefully I can get at least a B. Thanks so much! This was very helpful.

[@leahchen5070]

What did you get

[@ZioN.93]

my language is spanish the best way for the imperfect is ``yo trabajaba``.because ``yo estaba trabajando`` is only preterite. yo trabajaba=yo solia trabajar yo comia=yo solia comer yo hablaba=yo solia hablar you only have to use the word ``solia`` and of that form you will be have the imperfect

[@elspanishdude]

bismal segura I totally forgot about that! I'll cover it in a future video. Gracias!

[@dillonnordhoff6932]

bismal segura okay first learn English so you sound credible.

[@dillonnordhoff6932]

Frank Roquemore okay bro would you learn better from a Spanish speaker with a thick accent who makes grammatical mistakes in English all the time or someone who speaks both fluently and UNDERSTANDS the grammar in both. A good teacher can know Spanish but doesn't have to "sound like they know Spanish" that actually makes them worse bruto.

[@maxinedaniels5031]

so much intro. Really mate, I don't have time. Just do the lesson. But thanks for putting this up for free and having a go, I do appreciate that

[@CocoaFanatic01]

Taking the Spanish exam, procrastinated till the end, but the video helped ALOT!

[@elspanishdude]

As a fellow procrastinator, I'm glad I could be of service.

[@naeimabhalim2643]

@@elspanishdude 🤣🤣.

[@elizabethvaughn5694]

Im embarrassed by how hard I laughed when he said "trabajaba" 😂

[@harmony4490]

I came here to review for my exam, but now I’m just getting mad bc I realized The spanish created six tenses😂

[@TV-cv8cd]

I was so confused before i watched this video! Im taking Spanish 2 right now& we have been learning about this & it just wasn't connecting for me until i learned your rule of thumb& now it's really easy. Thank you for your videos they're a huge help.

[@DeutschmitMarija]

Awesome video, thank you so much!!! :)

[@d.ecension]

What I've been struggling to learn since I was a kid, I managed to learn in a 7 minute video. Wtf.

[@MrGyngve]

Having studied Spanish for the last two years, this video FINALLY made my brain go "click"! Absolutely awesome! Completely connected the dots for me on verbs like "ir" and the difference between "fui a" and "iba"! Excellent!

[@raindogs451]

There is a TON of excellent Spanish on KZbin, and you sir, are one of the very best.

[@sarahmartinez4057]

I just completed Spanish 2 along with my sophomore year of high school and I honestly learned nothing this year other than new vocabulary words. My teacher did not teach or even attempt to, because she is retiring this year so I guess she really didn't care. I wish I would have found your videos so much sooner! They are so helpful.

[@lincolnabraham4695]

Sarah Martinez I'm in the same situation. I've taught myself much more than my teacher did.

[@rayyancharania5437]

when he says that it works 90% of the time and you get an 88 on your quiz

[@kwamedamuah1838]

close enough

[@rayyancharania5437]

@@kwamedamuah1838 bro I was 16 when I commented that and now I’m 18 😂 ay but respect to my little self

[@xaflex771]

@@rayyancharania5437 hahah this comment is so funny for some reason

[@baileymoore6397]

Round up

[@rayyancharania5437]

@@baileymoore6397 na we aim for precision

[@imtanuki4106]

Dude, you nailed it. So many freaking videos on verb conjugation and not one explains the difference between preterite and imperfect.

[@jamespeter9090]

I bought the course. I still watch the videos on KZbin.

[@hilarioushils11]

Thank you so much for this! I feel so dumb because of how much I struggle with the past tense in Spanish. When you put it like this, no wonder it's difficult when we're used to not conjugating in English! :-)

[@s0phi76]

"GRINGO POINT OF VIEW" LMAO

[@madeinheaven3176]

Did you ever finish learning Spanish?

[@s0phi76]

@@madeinheaven3176 Oh I grew up speaking in it! I lost it over the last decade since I'm almost 20 now. If you're a novice learner, though, I recommend this app called drops but get the one in Spanish!

[@Cj-xt6tv]

Lmao I lost a lot of it too

[@cerealbeforemilk8976]

@@Cj-xt6tv I never had it in the first place 😔✊

[@robertnoall8847]

I am for sure not the only person saying this, but I have been learning Spanish for a while now but could never EVER! get my head around this. You are a legend and you have no idea how well you explain things! Thanks!!!!!

[@ladyoftoomanywords]

I took two years of Spanish in high school and learned nothing. That's not totally fair...I can count to 100...I think? Now, this specific topic left me so confused and no one was able to offer me an answer that I could understand. It left me so frustrated that I just didn't even try or care. More than a decade later I am trying to learn the language...genuinely. I am so glad I found this video and your channel. I'm really excited to use your videos as I continue on my language journey!

[@jowlyworld]

lmao its so funny when this guy says trabajaba

[@Deton8e]

Joyal_from_JW i mean... it's**

[@elspanishdude]

trabajaba!!!!

[@jowlyworld]

youre rigt

[@jowlyworld]

+Alayna x

[@JuanHernandez-rv1ez]

No comprendo cuan útil puedan ser éstas clases para los angloparlantes, pero para mí como hispanohablante, representa una herramienta de gran ayuda para mejorar mi inglés. Sigue haciendo videos por favor.

[@mquish5212]

dude i’ve been so confused on this topic for about 7 hours worth of class time and this mans just cleared it up in 7 minutes! thanks so much! your saving tomorrows quiz!

[@plumlots]

this video has absolutely changed my life.

[@Olivia-nf4zr]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! this really did help, I think I have been struggling with preterite and imperfect for the last four months and I feel like if I only had known about this video earlier I wouldn´t have had to work half as hard... :P

[@adityaprasad9734]

When the learning starts: 3:38

[@dave23456]

Just had my first Spanish lesson today here in Medellin, Colombia. Things are already off to a solid start since I've been forced to use what I have learned up to this point (only 4% of the population speaks English!), but I have a feeling your videos will be helpful in addition. Thanks for sharing! That quick tip to decide on whether to use the preterite or the imperfect is genius. Beauty in simplicity!

[@liyaah85]

I love how you simplify it so I can understand and learn and not fall asleep like I do in spanish class at school! You're a great teacher!

[@craigjamieson5653]

Just spent a small fortune on a six week course as a beginner and have had every conjugation thrown at me in four weeks. If only I had discovered Gringo Espanol beforehand! Great, Thank you.

[@JamieEberhart]

this helped me so much! thank you for taking the time to make this video!

[@sinny721]

I really appreciate this. My spanish teacher figured that this would be an easy concept to understand, six weeks into class, from a video entirely in Spanish.

[@arianabustos9162]

I watched this video right before my Spanish quiz, and I am so relieved that I finally understand this concept.

[@mattellis8]

Loving your channel. So helpful every time I'm in a Spanish-speaking country.

[@elspanishdude]

+Matt Ellis Awesome. Love to hear it. Thanks for the message. Glad I'm helping you.

[@Rebirth0313]

Amazing! This is infinitely easier than anything else I've ever read or was taught. Thank you!!

[@elspanishdude]

+Rebirth0313 My pleasure! Keep in mind, it's just a rule of thumb. I have two other Preterite Vs. Imperfect videos that go more in depth: gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-life-lessons/ and gringoespanol.com/quickies/preterite-imperfect-one-more-thing/

[@AdrianWRandle]

Oh my god!!! I'm finally understanding this part of the past tense! Thank you so much!!!

[@blueberry_salsa8758]

This video changed my life. After several years of study, still this would not stick. Thank you.

[@ivannolia5458]

If only all my teachers taught this way I'd be getting way better grades smh. This video helped me so much so keep doing what ur doing!

[@jeanettejeffcott1269]

Confusing part of the class, but your videos do help me a lot! Thanks!

[@EmperorOfArequipa]

I’ve driven myself crazy reading so many pages of Spanish learning books and website pages trying to understand this concept. And now I’m almost crying. This finally makes sense to me. And now I can finally express myself better

[@mikeperez1799]

You take the class online and there is just so much to learn in a short amount of time. This guy gives perfect examples unlike the professor who gives vague replies. I can go on and on about online foreign language learning, but this guy "the Spanish dude", breaks it down in a nutshell. I'm clinging to a"C" and my professor can barely speak understandable English as it is! Doesn't explain a lot for examples, or face to face time, but the "Spanish Dude" does an awesome job in getting points across.

[@srikarbala6270]

ok...

[@kanestone5897]

i took three years of spanish classes in high school and this guy taught me more about this in eight minutes than i learned in three years

[@Javiercillomg]

I'd like to correct a little mistake I saw. The words "pretérito" and "pasado" are synonyms. So, when you speak about "pretérito" you are actually speaking about "pretérito perfecto simple" (years ago known as "pretérito indefinido") and "imperfecto" is "pretérito imperfecto". I think that's the point. Both are past, but one of them is perfect, what means the action is finished; and the other one is imperfect, what means the action isn't finished yet. Excuse me for my English, I'm trying to improve it, and your videos really help me, that's why I see them. Thank you very much for your great work!

[@jazzyflavored]

Your English is great actually. Don't take this the wrong way I just want to help you. Instead of using what, use which. 😊

[@Javiercillomg]

+jazzyflavored Thank you very much, my friend. So, I have to say "which means the action...", don't I? :)

[@jazzyflavored]

+Javier Manzano exactly. You got it!

[@kaciannemarshall6836]

So I studied Spanish for about 10 years, and then took about 15 years off and now IM BACK. Im in my first Spanish college course, and this was such a great reminder. I don’t remember ever getting this “tip” in all my years of study. Thank you!!

[@mattcarleton8]

Just lowkey watching this night before our test cause my Spanish teacher didn’t explain this at all, rly helpful, I think this’ll work

[@elspanishdude]

Awesome. Hope this helped you!

[@Terryjanel]

I love your videos and I'm totally bummed I didn't watch this before my final exam this morning. It would have come in handy since a majority of the test was on this very topic. Thanks for making your videos they are SO HELPFUL!!!!

[@elspanishdude]

Terry K My pleasure! I'm glad they help you. Hope your final went well! Go Gators!

[@Terryjanel]

Gringo Español Thanks. I got a B+ on the final and I'm content with that considering College Spanish 2 has been so difficult. I plan to continue learning Spanish and using it so your videos will definitely help me obtain my speaking and understanding goals. And that's right right Go Gators!!

[@elspanishdude]

Terry K I love to hear it! Learning Spanish for real (staring my senior year at UF!) was one of the greatest things I've ever done, if not the greatest.

[@rubentruf]

Hi Gringo, someone from Spain here. First of all, I find your videos very very instructive, simple yet useful, good job! I find very interesting how my language is seen from an external/foreign point of view. To add more confusion to the mix, in Spanish I've always heard we have 5 different past tenses: "Pretérito perfecto", "Pretérito imperfecto", "Pretérito indefinido", "Pretérito pluscuamperfecto" and "Pretérito anterior", only considering the "indicative" ...

[@elspanishdude]

rubentruf Thank you! I'm glad you found them interesting! English is interesting to me in the same way as I investigate it to make these videos. Yes, those tenses are a bit annoying, but not nearly as bad because I don't consider them full conjugations. You know? Once you know how to conjugate haber, you're good. You don't have to learn all these different AR, ER, IR conjugations. And most importantly, no irregulars. So to me, it's present, 2 pasts, future, all the haber tenses together (he/habré/había/habría etc) then the subjunctive is a whole other world. But to me at least, the haber tenses (that's what I call them!) weren't so bad. I call those NOT FULL CONJUGATIONS (I'm making a video about this subject in a couple weeks).

[@rubentruf]

Gringo Español I totally get your point, interesting approach... And as you say in this video, it's not so important to memorize them as it is to know when/where to use them. "Lo 'has explicado' muy bien" ;)

[@elspanishdude]

rubentruf Gracias, amigo!

[@RanmaBluRay]

rubentruf Do you feel spanish or english is easier to learn?At least in english we don't have a billion conjugations to learn :D

[@rubentruf]

RanmaBluRay Well, there are always difficulties learning a language, and a lot of times it's the "hey, that doesn't exists in my mother language!". For English people there's the conjugation struggle. To me, for example, while I was learning English, was the whole "in vs on", as in Spanish it's always "en". Just learn the generic rule, know a couple usual exceptions and practice, practice, listen, SPEAK (important thing, don't be afraid of mistakes), you'll get it.

[@charlesluhmann]

Thank you SO MUCH for making this video, clear, easy to relate, and very insightful. Good job!

[@mikeyd4518]

This dude is a genius.

[@ChapterStackss]

Always enjoy your videos! One point of confusion I have with the imperfect is whether or not to use estar. As in "yo estaba trabajando" or "yo trabajaba" for I was working. Any advice? Thanks!

[@elspanishdude]

ChapterStackss Thanks! Yep, go with just "trabajaba". They both mean the same thing. But trabajaba is way more common, and it's much shorter to say =) They do mean the same thing though. There'll be a full video about that as part of this series.

[@alexbl109]

Gringo Español Soy hispanohablante, y dios mio que complicado es el español

[@elspanishdude]

Alex B Síííí. Los irregulares son los peores! Y ser/estar !

[@27danjel]

Gringo Español "Trabajaba" and "estaba trabajando" are not exactly the same thing. In fact, I think "estaba trabajando" sounds more natural in most of cases if you want to say "I was working". But if you want to say "I used to work", "trabajaba" is the right choice :)

[@winfredrobinson4734]

Can't you use both ways of expressions..

[@belenq.3351]

I’m a native Spanish speaker, I speak English, I’m learning Korean.. *why did I watch the whole thing* ㅠㅠ

[@hanjinkang1633]

Here is a native Korean speaker learning Spanish just for fun :) Unfortunately, the two languages are entirely different and have nothing in common. Wish you good luck, never give up !

[@andreafinellatamayo9979]

I cannot believe that watching this almost 8 minute video has helped me to understand how to structure the imperfect and preterite tenses!!!! It stresses me out so much when I’m trying to figure out in my brain which past verb to use but this video will help me so much more thank you

[@RebeccaDMusic]

I'm really struggling with understanding the past tenses in my Spanish lessons. This was helpful! I will definitely be watching more of your videos!

[@artusferrer4977]

I am spanish and i love your t-shirts. They are quite funny :). PD: Jeffrey Johnson, ello means it or that, in the most of the situations, like: It kick me (If it means like a monster, or something like this) will traduce to: Ello me pegó una patada.

[@elspanishdude]

Artús Ferrer Gracias por ayudarme! Jeffrey Johnson, I can't reply to your comments. You must have it turned off somewhere? I sent you a private message the other day. I wasn't ignoring your good question.

[@springtoasty5]

What about past particle and perfect tenses? Like "Yo he hablado" - "I have spoken?"

[@karnebo]

You're refering to the Pretérito perfecto (Present perfect in English). I assume he didn't include it because, unlike the two simple tenses described in the video, it isn't considered a simple past tense, so it generally isn't grouped with them. In simple past tenses, the action described takes place within a period of time that has ended, whereas with Present perfect, which is a compound tense, the action described takes place within a period of time that is ongoing into the present.

[@elspanishdude]

Thanks Gary!!! and I don't consider them full tenses as far as conjugation goes, because to put every verb in that form you just need to know how to conjugation "haber". I call these the "other tenses". I'll make a video about them all one day for sure. And not too far off either.

[@sassyjay100]

While it shares similar usage in English as you desribe, in mainland Spain I think it is important to point out that spanish people use the present perfect to describe actions in the recent past, so if you are talking about what you have done the same day, etc you use present perfect i.e he ido, I went . If you find youself describing something bizarre like it is the evening and you refer to the time you got up in the morning i.e I got up late this morning so I feel really tired then god help you as I have no clue whether you would say me he llevantado tarde esta mañana or me llevanté tarde esta mañana. In English it is clear cut as you cant have a closed time frame with the present perfect but in Spanish I dont know.

[@simplymigueltv2399]

Hola! "Yo he hablado" means "Ive spoken" In the past at some past. And I may speak again lol (Weird I know) But "Yo hablé" I spoke is very different Whatever was said is a done deal I hope this helps

[@Fadilanse]

this made things clear as water, gracias señor

[@nathanschiopota3422]

where tf is this man looking

[@nathanlevan1617]

I love these videos so much but dear god I'm laughing like an immature child everytime he says Trabajaba

[@Suki272]

This is the best video to explain preterite vs. imperfect. What a relief from all those explanations that didn't make sense! Thank you.

[@marygraceheartlein5779]

Your videos are saving me from failing my finals tomorrow! Thank you so much, you can't even begin to understand how much this helped me.

[@Sargentoindie]

Hello, im from spain and i like your videos, good job

[@elspanishdude]

sargento indie Thank you!

[@elspanishdude]

sargento indie I like your pic! It's Sergeant Slaughter?

[@Sargentoindie]

yes, it is

[@RanmaBluRay]

sargento indie I'm sorry not trying to be rude just curious, why are you watching spanish-learning videos if you're already fluent in spanish because you're spanish?

[@Sargentoindie]

Because i am bored.. too bored

[@seasickcaptain5249]

whos watching this right before a spanish final exam?

[@smegheadish]

Omg.. what a simple, yet BIG help!

[@yogaflo.kes11]

I'm a self learner and grammer rules kinda make me ditsy but your explanation on past Spanish variation through "gringo" perception really cemented the idea where most failed to teach me online. Thank you, kudos and keep making such material! Much 💕

[@chrispapple4833]

The way this dude is barely looking above the camera and not at it is lowkey uncanny. I don’t even remember what I watched because I didn’t know if I could trust him because what if he’s an alien and is trying to brainwash us 😫

[@MXSutube]

😂

[@user-ru6dz1po5t]

Decent ..but i wish you spoke less faster...It would be better if you put here another ver. of video with 0.5 speed from original))

[@liamkoehler8820]

Click the setting button in the bottom right and adjust it yourself.

[@sitizenkanemusic]

I'm glad I stumbled upon your channel. I love how you use cognates for us native English speakers

[@olgasignsandslimes2361]

This helped me so much you're a legend!!

[@LeoTM]

1337th Like. LEET

[@shanenanigans27]

What does gringo mean?

[@joachimlanden4955]

+Shane Doyle Foreigner

[@shanenanigans27]

It just sounds offensive term

[@joachimlanden4955]

+Shane Doyle It doesn't have to be :)

[@shanenanigans27]

But it really sounds like one

[@sophisticatednebula4236]

+Shane Doyle It's what Mexicans call Americans.

[@Angelinaslifefl]

we are in a Spanish speaking country learning as we go and this was super helpful beings that we are learning through immersion only. thanks so much! answer to prayer for sure

[@brettmurillo8065]

thank u for this it really help me and my uncle out because we were wondering about this. i love it when u do these things.

[@almor2445]

It doesn't even work. "I was learning Spanish this morning" would be Preterite because it had a specific, completed time frame. If I sound mad, it's only because I've spent all day trying to figure this out, going to dozens of web-pages and video, all of which give slightly different and sometimes contradictory answers.

[@elspanishdude]

First, the video is called "rule of thumb". Meaning it works most of the time. But in your example, it would many times work also! That "completed time frame" thing is just a rule of thumb too . I was learning Spanish this morning, when it started to rain. Aprendía español esta mañana cuando empezó a llover. I would use "estudiar" there and not "aprender" but the whole tense thing works the same. There's not one rule to govern imperfect/preterite all the time. That's why I presented this rule of thumb.

[@davidreid7922]

BΣΣЯΛМV Ҳ.Ҳ correcto no hay solo dos tenses pasados !!

[@jillverlinde1258]

I believe I’ve lost my hearing during the intro and end sound🧨 so unnecessary. Besides, good video thanks

[@nekesa6429]

FINALLY i have found the video to help me understand the preterite and imperfect tense!! i was struggling with this for so long

[@alexvazquez8861]

gringo point of view! I love it! I'm American--I started learning Spanish about 7 years ago, and I just graduated with my Associate Degree in Spanish. I love your videos.

[@romeromojo]

get to the point. Less talk about your teaching technique and more teaching spanish. No me gusta.

[@wassuh961]

this wasn't meant to be that

[@heyyou3096]

Bro my ass has been trying to learn this for a month and this guy helped me learn it in 7 minutes. Why do we even need Spanish teachers???

[@okoorganics3830]

Deep simplicity. Couldn't thank you enough for this!

[@joeymorto]

mate u are a bloody life saver

[@anirudhb9916]

Thank you so much!!!This 7 minute video helped teach me what I couldn't undertstand for two months!!!