If you’re learning Spanish or teaching it, you’ve probably run into a confusing issue: the two different past tense forms for the verb “was” — era and fue. Both are past tenses, both translate to “was,” but they aren’t used the same way. Understanding when to use each verb form is key to mastering Spanish grammar, especially when talking about past actions.
Let’s clarify the difference between these two Spanish verbs by looking at how each is used to describe events in the simple past tense. We’ll also sprinkle in a couple of examples to show how this all works in real life — or at least in the world of Spanish tenses.
When to Use Era – The Spanish Imperfect Tense
The verb era comes from the imperfect forms of the verb ser. The Spanish imperfect tense (or pretérito imperfecto) is used for ongoing actions, habitual actions, and inherent characteristics in the past. It’s one of the easiest tenses to conjugate and understand once you get the hang of it. This tense is not about strict timelines — it’s more about describing what things were like during a long time or during a specific historical period like aquella época (that era).
Use era when describing:
- Someone’s personality or looks in the past (inherent characteristics)
- What something used to be like
- Background details
- Hypothetical situations in the past
- The setting around a specific event
- What was happening before an interrupting action
Examples:
- Era una niña muy curiosa. (She was a very curious girl.)
- La casa era grande y antigua. (The house was big and old.)
- Cuando era joven, vivía en México. (When I was young, I lived in Mexico.)
Notice these don’t have a definitive completion time — the actions or descriptions simply were, possibly por un rato (for a while), or even for years.
✨ Pro Tip for Teachers: Have students describe their childhood or someone famous. “¿Cómo era Frida Kahlo? ¿Cómo era Barney? ¿Cómo era Curious George? ¿Cómo era tu abuelo(a)?” prompts deeper thinking and great use of era.
When to Use Fue – The Preterite Tense
On the other hand, fue is from the preterite tense, also called el pretérito indefinido. This past tense form is used when you’re talking about a specific event that started and ended in the past. It’s commonly used with expressions that imply a specific time, a completed action, or an action that has strict parameters. The use of the preterite signals a clear boundary — a beginning and a definite end.
Use fue when describing:
- An action that happened last year, last night, or on a specific date
- An interrupting action
- A single moment with a definitive completion time
- A one-time event with clear timing
Examples:
- La fiesta fue increíble. (The party was amazing — and it’s over.)
- Mi primera clase de español fue en 2010. (My first Spanish class was in 2010 — one time.)
- ¿Cómo fue tu día ayer? (How was your day yesterday?)
Also keep in mind that fue is an irregular verb — there’s no accent mark, and the form is the same in the third person singular and first person singular for some ir verbs too.
✨ Classroom Tip: Try picture talk or storytelling. Give students a photo and ask: “¿Qué pasó (Qué fue?)” (What happened?) vs. “¿Cómo era?” (What was it like?)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Phrase in English Era (Imperfect) Fue (Preterite)
It was Monday
- Era lunes (background info)
- Fue lunes (specific event/day)
He was nice
- Era simpático (characteristic)
- Fue simpático (in that moment)
It was a big house
- Era una casa grande (description)
- Fue una casa grande (visited once)
Want a shortcut to help students understand? Ask Yourself:
🧠 “Am I setting the scene or telling the story?”
If you’re setting the scene → go with era (pretérito imperfecto).
If you’re telling a specific event with a start and end → use fue (preterite tense).
This is a helpful trick whether you’re talking about past dates or even telling about something that happened last year.
How to Practice Spanish Past Tenses
Here are some ways Spanish students can practice the preterite vs imperfect contrast — especially if you’re studying with a teacher:
- Two Truths and a Lie – Past Edition: Use era and fue to describe past events and challenge classmates to spot the lie.
- Timeline Sorting: Mix era and fue sentences and have students place them along a timeline — description vs. completed action.
- Story Retell with Interruptions: Narrate a story with ongoing actions interrupted by specific events: “Era tarde y llovía… cuando de repente, ¡fue un accidente!”
- Verb Conjugation Sort: Group irregular verbs, ir verbs, and different verb forms based on sets of endings.
Understanding era vs fue helps unlock the mystery of Spanish past tense forms. Instead of memorizing lists, focus on understanding what kind of action you’re describing. Is it a specific event with a definite end? Or are you describing something more general, continuous, or background-related?
Learning the nuances of the Spanish imperfect tense and the preterite tense will help students express themselves more clearly, tell better stories, and understand native speakers with ease. It’s one of the most important lessons in Spanish — and one of the most rewarding.
If you’re a teacher looking to integrate preterite and imperfect practice into your lessons, I’ve got some great resources for you! These activities are perfect for helping students practice both past tense forms in engaging ways:
- Spanish Childhood Descriptions: Find Someone Who Speaking Scavenger Hunt – A fun way to practice childhood descriptions and both preterite and imperfect verb forms.
👉 Spanish Childhood Descriptions Scavenger Hunt - Spanish Childhood Activities: Find Someone Who Speaking Scavenger Hunt – Another great collaborative speaking activity for practicing imperfect tense verbs in context.
👉 Spanish Childhood Activities Scavenger Hunt - Imperfect Tense Spanish Childhood Activities Running Dictation – Use running dictation to get students moving while practicing the imperfect tense.
👉 Imperfect Tense Running Dictation - Imperfect of Irregular Verb Graphic Organizer – A helpful graphic organizer to reinforce the imperfect conjugations of irregular verbs.
👉 Imperfect Irregular Verb Graphic Organizer - Preterite Tense Spanish Last Weekend Activity Running Dictation – This running dictation activity helps students practice the preterite tense with real-world scenarios.
👉 Preterite Last Weekend Running Dictation - Preterite of Irregular Verbs Notes and Practice Graphic Organizer – A great resource for teachers and students to practice preterite irregular verbs.
👉 Preterite Irregular Verbs Graphic Organizer - Preterite AR, ER, IR Graphic Organizer (PRINT/DIGITAL) – A versatile organizer for students to understand AR, ER, and IR verbs in the preterite tense.
👉 Preterite AR, ER, IR Graphic Organizer
These resources are a great way to add some fun and variety to your lessons while reinforcing the rules of past tense forms.
Grab my Free Spanish Grammar Cheat Sheet! It includes the past tense forms of the Super 7 and Sweet 16 high-frequency verbs in the present tense, descriptive past, and sudden past tenses. This cheat sheet is designed to help you choose the right verb forms in context, whether you’re dealing with habitual actions, specific events, or ongoing actions.
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