Final answer:
Use the preterite tense for actions that happened a specific number of times. Use the imperfect tense for habitual, continual, or repetitive actions in the past.
Step-by-step explanation:
When deciding between using the preterite or the imperfect tense in Spanish, we have to consider the type of actions being described. For an action that occurred a specific number of times, the preterite tense is used because it indicates that the action is complete and limited to a certain number of occurrences.
On the other hand, the imperfect tense is appropriate for describing habitual, continual, or repetitive actions because it conveys that the action was ongoing in the past without a specified endpoint.
In Spanish, the preterite tense is used to describe actions that occurred a specific number of times in the past. For example, 'Él comió tres manzanas' (He ate three apples) indicates a specific number of times the action occurred.
The imperfect tense, on the other hand, is used to describe habitual, continual, or receptive actions in the past. For example, 'Yo comía manzanas todos los días' (I used to eat apples every day) indicates a habitual action.