| Last night miguel arrived from his trip while we were having dinner | Anoche Miguel llegó de su viaje mientras cenábamos |
| we were/we were in spain in 2005 | Estuvimos/ Estábamos en España en el 2005 |
| The preterite is very often used to express past actions that happened and ended quickly | The preterite tense narrates events in the past. It refers to a single past action or state or to a series of actions viewed as a completed unit or whole |
| Juan Pérez read in the paper the news of his death | Juan Pérez leyó en el periódico la noticia de su muerte |
| When Juan Pérez arrived in England, he ran into a friend | Cuando Juan Pérez llegó a Inglaterra, se encontró con un amigo |
| The widow hung the military medal on his picture | La viuda colgó la medalla militar en su retrato. |
| the preterite can be used regardless of the length of time involved r the number of times the action was performed, provided... | The preterite can be used regardless of the length of time involved r the number of times the action was performed, provided that the event or series of events is viewed as a complete unit by the speaker. |
| We waited for you for half an hour | Te esperamos media hora |
| Juan spent several months in the war | Juan estuvo varios meses en la guerra |
| He read the news of his death three times | Leyó tres veces la noticia de su muerte |
| the preterite also refers to the beginning or ending of an action | The preterite also refers to the beginning or ending of an action |
| As soon as we arrived at the party, we began to dance | Apenas llegamos a la fiesta, nos pusimos a bailar |
| The meeting ended at five | La reunión terminó a las cinco |
