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Everyone loves a good story. Being able to narrate events, tell anecdotes, and recount experiences is one of the most engaging skills you can develop in Spanish. In this lesson, we will review the key tenses used in storytelling, learn narrative connectors, and practise with complete example stories.
Spanish storytelling relies primarily on two past tenses working together: the pretérito indefinido (preterite) and the pretérito imperfecto (imperfect). Understanding when to use each is the key to telling good stories.
Used for completed actions — events that happened at a specific time and moved the story forward:
| Subject | Hablar | Comer | Vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hablé | comí | viví |
| Tú | hablaste | comiste | viviste |
| Él/Ella | habló | comió | vivió |
| Nosotros | hablamos | comimos | vivimos |
| Ellos/Ellas | hablaron | comieron | vivieron |
Function in stories: Advances the plot. Answers "What happened?"
Used for background descriptions, ongoing states, habitual past actions, and setting the scene:
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