Pretérito or Imperfect?

Question 1

Who did you talk with yesterday?

Answer 1

Con quien hablaste ayer?

Question 2

I went off to Malaga last month

Answer 2

Me fui a Málaga el mes pasado

Question 3

Where did they put it?

Answer 3

Dónde lo pusieron?

Question 4

He told me that he didn’t do it

Answer 4

Él me dijo que no lo hizo

Question 5

We waited nearly the whole morning

Answer 5

Esperamos casi toda la mañana

Question 6

I had an operation three weeks ago

Answer 6

Tuve una operación hace tres semanas

Question 7

They came to visit me at four

Answer 7

Ellos vinieron a visitarme a las cuatro

Question 8

Were you able to do it? (Usted)

Answer 8

Pudo hacerlo?

Question 9

Suddenly Carlos came in with a miserable face

Answer 9

De repente entró Carlos con cara de pocos amigos

Question 10

It took me four years to write my first book

Answer 10

Tardé cuatro años en escribir mi primer libro

Question 11

Whilst my friend did the exercises, I went out to have a coffee

Answer 11

Mientras mi amiga hacía los ejercicios yo salí a tomar un café (We have a ‘whilst’ which triggers the imperfect. Then we have the one-off option of going out)

Question 12

Juan was talking with the driver whilst I was looking for change

Answer 12

Juan hablaba con el conductor mientras yo buscaba cambio (In both verbs we have a was…ing which is typically the imperfect)

Question 13

Whilst the husband was in work his wife did the shopping and paid the bills

Answer 13

Mientras el marido estaba en el trabajo su mujer hizo/hacía la compra y pagó/pagaba las facturas (We have another ‘mientras’ which triggers the imperfect. Then we have the choice of making the wife’s actions solid, one-off and sequential = Preterite, or we can make have everything all blending together = imperfect.)

Question 14

The other day I was thinking about you and about what I was going to buy you

Answer 14

El otro día pensaba/pensé en ti y en lo que iba a comprate (By using the imperfect we create the idea of ongoing thoughts whereas the Preterite shows a one-time thought. Then, with ‘was going to’ we have a clear imperfect.)

Question 15

What a day! First my computer wasn’t working, then the router broke down on me. In the end I had to call a technician

Answer 15

Qué día! Primero no funcionaba mi ordenador, luego se me rompió el router. Total que tuve que llamar un técnico. (The computer ‘was not working’ which is a description but the act of the router breaking and the action of calling the technician is clearly Preterite)

Question 16

Carlos came late, he didn’t say sorry to me and then, what did he do? He called a friend to arrange to meet up at the weekend. What a guy

Answer 16

Carlos llegó tarde, no me pidió perdón y luego, qué hizo? Llamó a un amigo para quedar el fin de semana. Vaya tío (Here we have a clear four sequence of events/actions which are all Preterite)

Question 17

Did you do it when I was in the garden?

Answer 17

Lo hiciste cuando estaba en el jardín (It’s more likely that we use the Preterite with a ‘did you do it’ question as the implication is that it was a one off action. We then have a ‘when’ which is doubling as the famous Spanish ‘whilst’

Question 18

Whilst Guillermo got washed, I set about preparing the breakfast

Answer 18

Mientras Guillermo se aseaba, me puse a preparar el desayuno (Here we have a ‘whilst’ = imperfect. Then we have the action of setting about doing something.)

Question 19

I got really frightened whilst the plane was landing during the storm

Answer 19

Yo pasé mucho miedo mientras el avión aterrizaba durante la tormenta (Here we have the action of getting frightened (Preterite) whilst the plane was landing (imperfect)

Question 20

He was telling me lie after lie and I was looking at him with the face of; ‘Are you joking me or what?’

Answer 20

Él me contaba mentira tras mentira y yo lo miraba con cara de: ‘me estás tomando el pelo o qué?’ (So whilst he was doing one thing, Imperfect, the other person was looking at him at the same time, imperfect. We could also make ‘miraba’ into ‘miré’ which would make the listener understand that the person looked once. By using the imperfect we are saying that the two actions were happening together and for about the same length of time.

Question 21

I knew him when I was young.

Answer 21

Lo conocía cuando era joven (this sentence could just as easily have ‘used to’ in it, so, Imperfect

Question 22

José didn’t want to come with us and he stayed home

Answer 22

Josè no quiso ir con nosotros y se quedó en casa (José didn’t want to go and he didn’t. His want was carried out, so Preterite.)

Question 23

In that moment he knew/realised that he loved her

Answer 23

En ese momento supo que la quería (this is a realisation moment, a finding out, so Preterite

Question 24

When I was a girl I could speak in Spanish but now I’ve forgotten everything.

Answer 24

Cuando era niña podía hablar en español pero ya se me ha olvidado todo. (although we said ‘could’ we could easily use ‘she used to be able’ so, imperfect

Question 25

The washing machine wasn’t working so I had to use the neighbour’s.

Answer 25

La lavadora no funcionaba así que tuve que usar la de la vecina (this was a need that was carried through as an action. She needed to use the neighbours machine and she did)

Question 26

To pass all the exams Francisco needed to study a lot more but he didn’t want to do it so he had to repeat the year.

Answer 26

Para aprobar todos los exámenes Francisco necesitaba estudiar mucho más pero no quiso hacerlo así que tuvo que repetir el año. (Francisco was needing to study. He didn’t act on that need so, Imperfect. He also didn’t want to study and didn’t, so Preterite action. That led to him having to repeat the year, an action, so Preterite)

Question 27

I knew you were going to say this to me, but I don’t know how.

Answer 27

Sabía que me ibas a decir esto, pero no sé cómo. (This knowing was an ongoing knowing that can’t be measured. It wasn’t a finding out, so Imperfect.)

Question 28

When I was young I wanted to visit the United States and finally, last year I was able to achieve that dream.

Answer 28

Cuando era joven quería visitar los Estados Unidos y por fin, el año pasado pude realizar ese sueño. (This person wanted to visit the US but didn’t act on that want, so Imperfect. Then finally, they were able and did visit which is an action and so, Preterite.)

Question 29

They met one another whilst they were working abroad.

Answer 29

Se conocieron mientras trabajaban en el extranjero. (This was their first time meeting so always, Preterite)

Question 30

That morning I had to do a mountain of things in the town centre but because of the snow I couldn’t leave the house.

Answer 30

Esa mañana tenía que hacer mogollón de cosas en el centro pero por la nieve no pude salir de la casa. (The need to do lots of things wasn’t acted upon, it was just a need, so Imperfect. The person could not leave the house and didn’t so, Preterite)

Question 31

Did you speak with Javi about the weekend?

Answer 31

Hablaste con Javi sobre el fin de semana? (A one off event about a specific thing)

Question 32

I don’t know what the man was saying to me. There was so much noise.

Answer 32

No sé lo que me decía el hombre. Había tanto ruido. (We have a ‘was saying’ which is imperfect and a photo description of the noise happening at the same time)

Question 33

They wanted to go to the wedding but in the end they couldn’t.

Answer 33

Ellos querían ir a la boda pero al final no pudieron. (They had the intention of going = Imperfect but then they could not and did not = Preterite)

Question 34

Where is Francisco? He’s trying to discover what street the concert is in.

Answer 34

Dónde está Francisco? Intenta averiguar en qué calle es el concierto (We have the location of Francisco = estar. Then we have the location of an event = ser)

Question 35

And the man who you used to know when you worked in England. Where did you meet him.?

Answer 35

Y el hombre que conocía cuando trabajaba en Inglaterra. Dónde lo conoció? ( We have a ‘used to know’ = Imperfect. Then ‘worked’ could easily be ‘used to work’ = Imperfect. Then the one-off act of meeting someone = Preterite)