Timeline of Past Tenses

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Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto
Past Perfect
Used for actions that happened before another past action.

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Pretérito Imperfecto
Imperfect Past
Used for ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.

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Pretérito Indefinido
Simple Past
Used for completed actions in the past with no connection to the present.

✅

Pretérito Perfecto
Present Perfect
Used for actions completed recently or with relevance to the present.

PluscuamperfectoImperfectoIndefinidoPerfecto

Spanish Past Tenses: The Big Four

Tense	When to Use	Example	English	Examples (AR/ER/IR)
Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto	Used for actions that happened before another past action.	Ya había comido cuando llegaste (I had already eaten when you arrived)	Past Perfect	- Yo había hablado con ella antes de salir. I had spoken with her before leaving. - Tú habías comido antes de la reunión. You had eaten before the meeting. - Él ya había vivido en Madrid. He had already lived in Madrid.
Pretérito Imperfecto	Used for ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.	Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol (When I was a child, I played soccer)	Imperfect Past	- Yo hablaba con mis amigos cada día. I used to speak with my friends every day. - Tú comías en casa de tus abuelos. You used to eat at your grandparents' house. - Ella vivía cerca del mar. She used to live near the sea.
Pretérito Indefinido	Used for completed actions in the past with no connection to the present.	Ayer comí pizza (Yesterday I ate pizza)	Simple Past	- Ayer hablé con mi profesor. Yesterday I spoke with my teacher. - Comiste pizza anoche. You ate pizza last night. - Vivieron en México por un año. They lived in Mexico for a year.
Pretérito Perfecto	Used for actions completed recently or with relevance to the present.	He comido (I have eaten)	Present Perfect	- He hablado con el director. I have spoken with the principal. - ¿Has comido hoy? Have you eaten today? - Hemos vivido aquí desde 2020. We have lived here since 2020.

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P. PluscuamperfectoP. ImperfectoP. IndefinidoP. Perfecto

Used for actions that happened before another past action.

Common Time Markers:

Examples:

Ya había comido cuando llegaste (I had already eaten when you arrived)
Si hubiera estudiado más, habría aprobado (If I had studied more, I would have passed)
Me dijo que había visto la película (He told me he had seen the movie)
Cuando llegamos, ya se habían ido (When we arrived, they had already left)
Nunca había probado sushi antes (I had never tried sushi before)
Había terminado el trabajo antes de salir (I had finished the work before leaving)
Habíamos vivido en Barcelona antes de mudarnos (We had lived in Barcelona before moving)

Used for ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past.

Common Time Markers:

Examples:

Used for completed actions in the past with no connection to the present.

Common Time Markers:

Examples:

Used for actions completed recently or with relevance to the present.

Common Time Markers:

Examples: