Does anyone know ways/tricks to learn when to use preterite or imperfect in spanish?

[na n]

Does anyone know ways/tricks to learn when to use preterite or imperfect in spanish?

[J J]

Preterite: for actions that happened once in the past.
eg) Yo comi el queso.
I ate the cheese (happened once), I ran, I swam

Imperfect: continued actions...(I used to, I was)
best used with todos los dias, etc.

Pret=
ar: e, aste, o, amos, aron
er: i, iste, io, imos, ieron

Imp=
ar: aba abas aba abamos aban
er: ia ias ia iamos ian

Uses for imperfect: to give a description of the past, or events that are regular or that went on.

KEY CONCEPT,
-IF IT HAPPENED ONLY ONCE AT ONE TIME THAN IT IS PRET. IF IT CONTINUED OR WENT ON THAN ITS IMP>

Tricks, not really, just that imperfect verbs have longer endings which is a connection because they are "longer actions"