The verb “ir” is actually an interesting case in Spanish because it can be used in both the preterite and imperfect tenses, depending on the context and the specific meaning you want to convey.
In general, the preterite tense is used to describe completed actions or events that happened in the past and have a clear starting and ending point. For example, “fui al cine ayer” means “I went to the cinema yesterday” – it indicates a specific action that took place at a specific time.
On the other hand, the imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as to provide background information or set the scene in a narrative. This tense is often used to talk about habits, routines, or actions that were in progress but without a clear ending point. For example, “iba al cine todas las semanas” means “I used to go to the cinema every week” – it indicates a habitual action that was repeated regularly.
So, to answer your question, “ir” can be both preterite and imperfect. It depends on whether you want to emphasize a specific completed action in the past (preterite) or describe a regular or repeated action (imperfect).
To give you a personal example, when I was in high school, I used to go to the library every afternoon to study. I would walk there after classes and spend a few hours reading and doing homework. This is a perfect example of using the imperfect tense with “ir” to describe a routine or repeated action in the past.
The verb “ir” can be used in both the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish, depending on the specific meaning and context you want to convey.