Imperfect indicators are words or phrases that in some way indicate repetitive or habitual actions in the past. Generally, they will be followed by the imperfect tense. Here's a tip to help you remember the indicators: Copy all the imperfect indicators on one color of flash cards and the preterite indicators on a different color. Keep track of which color is preterite and which is imperfect. Then on test day you'll remember the color of the card the expression was written on, and you will know which tense to use if you see one of these expressions. Here is the list of some imperfect indicators: