Elementary (A2)
Past tenses and more complex structures
What you'll learn
Key verbs for this level
Your Learning Journey
Conquer past tenses: preterite and imperfect
Master Preterite Tense
Learn to describe completed actions in the past
Goal: Correctly use preterite for 10 common past events
Preterite
English equivalent: I completed it once (simple past)
For completed actions in the past with a specific time or endpoint
Example: "Ayer comí pizza" (Yesterday I ate pizza)
Why it matters: Essential for telling stories and describing completed events. Critical for past tense fluency.
Master Imperfect Tense
Learn to describe ongoing or habitual past actions
Goal: Correctly use imperfect to describe past habits and background
Imperfect
English equivalent: I used to / was doing (ongoing past)
For ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past
Example: "Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol" (When I was a child, I used to play soccer)
Why it matters: Key for describing past habits, setting scenes, and providing background context.
Preterite vs Imperfect
Learn when to use preterite vs imperfect in the same sentence
Goal: Correctly choose between preterite and imperfect in 20 sentences
Preterite
English equivalent: I completed it once (simple past)
For completed actions in the past with a specific time or endpoint
Example: "Ayer comí pizza" (Yesterday I ate pizza)
Why it matters: Essential for telling stories and describing completed events. Critical for past tense fluency.
Imperfect
English equivalent: I used to / was doing (ongoing past)
For ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past
Example: "Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol" (When I was a child, I used to play soccer)
Why it matters: Key for describing past habits, setting scenes, and providing background context.