Spanish 102 · Chapter 8
A celebrar
Describe traditions and background scenes with the imperfect; contrast imperfect vs. preterite; build comparisons (más/menos…que, tan…como).
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What you'll learn
- Holidays, food, and cultural traditions
- Imperfect tense for ongoing or habitual past
- Imperfect vs. preterite in narration
- Comparatives and superlatives
Grammar spotlight
The imperfect often sets the scene or repeats a habit: Cuando era niño, íbamos a la playa cada verano. Preterite interrupts or completes: Un día perdimos el autobús.
Imperfect forms for -ar verbs use -aba, -abas…; -er/-ir use -ía, -ías…. Ir, ser, and ver are highly irregular in the imperfect but identical in those three: iba, era, veía patterns by person.
Comparisons: más alto que, menos interesante que, tan fácil como; superlatives add definite article: el más simpático.
Try a question
Sample question
Which tense fits a repeated childhood action? “Cuando era pequeño, siempre _____ (ver) ese desfile.”
Related grammar topics
Drill these in Chapurra before your next quiz.