Stop Using Preterite Like This in Spanish (The English False Preterite Trap)

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Are you confused about preterite vs imperfect in Spanish?
You’re not alone — and the problem might actually be English, not Spanish.

In this lesson, you’ll discover the English “False Preterite” — a hidden grammar trap that causes English speakers to choose the wrong Spanish past tense, even at intermediate and advanced levels.

Sentences like “When I worked there…” look like preterite, but in Spanish they often require the imperfect tense. Why? Because Spanish grammar is strict and logical, while English quietly mixes meanings without warning.

In this video, you’ll learn:
The real difference between preterite vs imperfect
What the false preterite is and why English uses it
A simple “was/were + -ing” test to choose the correct tense
Why background actions must use the imperfect
How to stop translating Spanish past tense like an English speaker

Chapter:
00:00 Introduction to the false preterite
00:53 Preterite vs imperfect tense
01:23 Understanding imperfect with examples
02:14 Using imperfect for simultaneous actions
02:54 Testing verbs for imperfect usage
03:30 True preterite vs contextual usage
04:11 False conditional and English-Spanish differences
04:45 Resources and translation exercise

If you’ve ever wondered why Spanish past tense rules feel confusing, this explanation will finally make it click.

👉 Practice challenge:
Translate this sentence into Spanish:
“When I was young, my dad worked in a factory.”

Write your answer in the comments and we’ll check it for you.

📘 Want to master the Spanish past?
Check out Perfecting the Past in Spanish, our bestselling book available on Amazon

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