imperfecto de indicativo vs. presente de indicativo

Hola Clara! La primera hace referencia a tiempo pasado y la segunda a tiempo presente. Saludos!

Dicen lo mismo, pero con +/- informalidad. La primera forma de decirlo es mas formal (por ejemplo, dialogo entre un mesero a un comensal en un restaurante). Mientras que a un amigo le preguntaria de la segunda manera porque es mas directa e informal. Otra situacion es si le pregunto si esta salada la comida a alguien mayor que deba tratar de "usted", y no de "vos". (para no tutear, usaria la primera forma de decirlo) Saludos

I attach this explanation that might help you, I hope: The Preterite Generally, the preterite is used for completed actions (actions that have definite beginning and end points.) These can be actions that can be viewed as single events, actions that were part of a chain of events, actions that were repeated a very specific number of times, or actions that specifically state the beginning and end of an action. Check out these examples: Fui al baile anoche. I went to the dance last night. Caminé al mercado, compré unos plátanos, y regresé a casa. I walked to the market, bought some bananas, and returned home. Te llamó tres veces. He called you three times. Hablé con mi madre de las dos hasta las tres. I spoke with my mother from two o’clock until three o’clock. The Imperfect The imperfect tense is generally used for actions in the past that do not have a definite end. These can be actions that are not yet completed or refer to a time in general in the past. It can also be used to talk about: actions that were repeated habitually actions that set the stage for another past tense event time and dates a person’s age in the past characteristics mental or physical states Check out these examples: Cuando era niña, jugaba con muñecas. When I was a child, I used to play with dolls. Los chicos hablaban en español. The boys were speaking in Spanish. Estaba durmiendo cuando el teléfono sonó. I was sleeping when the telephone rang. Cuando tenía tres años, era muy pequeño. When he was three years old, he was very small.

past Vs present