Which tense - PRETERITE or IMPERFECT? 2

Mental state and emotion verbs — Verbs expressing states of mind often shift meaning between tenses. Imperfect = ongoing state: Quería ir (I wanted to go — general desire). Sabía la verdad (I knew the truth — ongoing knowledge). Preterite = point of change: Quise ir (I tried/decided to go). Supe la verdad (I found out the truth — moment of discovery).

Descriptions vs completed actions in narrative — In storytelling, the imperfect paints the picture (weather, time, setting, feelings) and the preterite moves the plot forward: Era una noche oscura. Hacía frío. De repente oyó un ruido y se levantó. The imperfect describes; the preterite acts. This is the key to natural past-tense narrative in Spanish.

Desde hacía — imperfect equivalent of desde hace — For ongoing past states, use imperfect + desde hacía: Vivía allí desde hacía cinco años cuando lo conocí (I had been living there for five years when I met him). This is the past equivalent of the present hace/desde hace construction — same logic, different tense.