This introduction covers Imperfecto + pretérito — The Examiner's Favourite Combination within Imperfect tense (regular + key irregulars) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Imperfect tense (regular + key irregulars) in Time Frames for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📚 Imperfecto + pretérito — The Examiner's Favourite Combination
| Frase modelo | Estructura |
|---|---|
| Estaba comiendo cuando llegó mi padre. I was eating when my father arrived. |
Imperfect (estaba comiendo = background action in progress) + preterite (llegó = single completed event) |
| Hacía mucho frío cuando salí de casa. It was very cold when I left the house. |
Imperfect (hacía = ongoing description) + preterite (salí = completed action) |
| Jugábamos en el jardín cuando empezó a llover. We were playing in the garden when it started to rain. |
Imperfect (jugábamos = ongoing activity) + preterite (empezó = sudden interruption) |
⭐ Exam tip — Paper 4 (Writing)
Using both the imperfect and the preterite in the same sentence is the clearest possible signal to an AQA examiner that you command two distinct time frames. This combination is explicitly rewarded under tense range in the mark scheme. Aim for at least one imperfect + preterite sentence in every extended writing task.