An event in the imperfect
Normally the preterite tells the events and the imperfect describes the background. In newspapers, match reports, biographies and novels, though, a single completed event sometimes appears in the imperfect. This is the imperfecto narrativo. It does not change the facts, only the effect.
Same moment, two effects
Preterite
Matter-of-fact, complete, one point in the sequence.
Minutos después, el delantero marcó el empate.
Minutes later, the striker scored the equaliser.
Imperfecto narrativo
Drawn out, scenic, highlighted as the climax.
Minutos después, el delantero marcaba el empate.
Minutes later, the striker scored the equaliser.
English has no matching form. Do not translate it as was scoring: the English progressive would make it background. Both versions come out as the simple past, and the difference exists only in Spanish.
When it works
From the press and biographies
El 20 de noviembre de 1975 moría Franco en Madrid.
On 20 November 1975 Franco died in Madrid.
A classic opening for historical accounts.
Al día siguiente, la empresa anunciaba el cierre de la fábrica.
The next day, the company announced the closure of the factory.
Dos años más tarde, se casaban en Lisboa.
Two years later, they got married in Lisbon.
Ese mismo año, la banda publicaba su primer disco.
That same year, the band released its first album.
Using it yourself
Tell the chain of events in the preterite and save the imperfect for the one moment everything builds up to. The effect is like the closing shot of a film.
Llegó a Madrid en 1990 sin un euro.
He arrived in Madrid in 1990 without a penny.
Preterite, event 1.
Trabajó de camarero, estudió de noche y abrió su primer restaurante en 1998.
He worked as a waiter, studied at night and opened his first restaurant in 1998.
Preterite, the chain of events.
Diez años después, recibía su primera estrella Michelin.
Ten years later, he received his first Michelin star.
Imperfecto narrativo, the closing point.
