| A | B |
|---|
| Anticipated action (I was going to...) | Imperfect |
| Completed action (I ate the hamburger) | Preterite |
| Interrupting action ( I was watching TV when the phone RANG) | Preterite |
| two simultaneous actions (We were watching TV and eating pizza) | Imperfect |
| Habitual actions in the past (I used to go to the beach when I was young) | Imperfect |
| Time and Date (It was January 12, 2000....) | Imperfect |
| Age (I was 13 years old..) | Imperfect |
| Background information (It was a beautiful day...) | Imperfect |
| When something happens suddenly or immediately | Preterite |
| An ongoing action in the past (I was listening to the radio) | Imperfect |
| A list of completed actions | Preterite |
| When something happened for the first time(It began to rain) | Preterite |
| Duration of time (how long something lasts) - We lived there for ten years. | Preterite |
| Emotions (She was happy) | Imperfect with Estar |
| Conditions (He was sick) | Imperfect with Estar |
| Physical Description (She was tall) | Imperfect with Ser |
| Personality Traits (He was nice) | Imperfect with Ser |
| Generally/Normally | Imperfect |
| Background information (It was a beautiful day) | Imperfect |
