Answer:
the preterite tense is for actions that happened at a specific point in the past, like i ran, i ate, or i drove. the imperfect is more for describing the way things were, what someone used to do, or what was happening over an extended time, like i always used to run, i was eating, or it was sunny.
preterite examples:
ayer hablé con el profesor (yesterday i talked to the teacher)
viajé a francia el verano pasado (i traveled to france last summer)
imperfect examples:
siempre jugaba con mis amigos cuando era joven (i always used to play with my friends when i was young)
siempre viajaba a francia con mi familia (i always used to travel to france with my family)
i hope i explained that well :)
