Chapter 4 Grammar

Question 1

What is the imperfect progressive tense and how is it used?

Answer 1

The imperfect progressive is a verb form used to intensify the following:
• An action that was in progress in the past
• An event that was happening in the past

That is, if you’re simply stating that something was in progress in the past and not trying to emphasize that aspect, just use the imperfect.

The action expressed by the imperfect progressive tense must be an action that was in progress in the past (as opposed to the preterite progressive, which emphasizes “completed” actions in the past):

El estudiante estaba durmiendo cuando el maestro empezó la clase.
The student was sleeping when the teacher started class.

Yo estaba atravesando la calle cuando vi venir el carro.
I was crossing the street when I saw the car coming.

Question 2

How do you form the imperfect progressive tense?

Answer 2

The imperfect progressive is a compound tense in Spanish, as it is in English. It is formed by conjugating estar in the imperfect and adding the gerund of the main verb.

yo estaba jugando
nos estábamos viviendo

Question 3

Conjugate “jugar” into the imperfect progressive:

Answer 3

estaba jugando
estabas jugando
estaba jugando

estábamos jugando
estabais jugando
estaban jugando

Question 4

What other verbs can be combined with the gerund form of a verb to form the imperfect progressive?

Answer 4

seguir, ir, and venir

Rosa seguía comiendo.
Rose continued to eat.

Question 5

What is the preterite progressive tense and how is it used?

Answer 5

Unlike the imperfect progressive, the preterit progressive tense expresses an action in progress that was completed in the past. The name of the tense might seem like a contradiction in terms, but the action, although in a progressive form, is definitely over.

These sentences are often accompanied by an “hasta que” clause, which overtly signifies that the action had a definite ending.

Ayer, en la clase de ciencias, el estudiante estuvo escuchando atentamente al profesor hasta que terminó la clase. 
Yesterday, in science class, the student was listening attentively to the professor until class ended. 

Anoche, Sofia, una gran pianista, estuvo practicando hasta que su novio la llamó.
Last night, Sofia, a great pianist, was practicing until her boyfriend called her.