Las preguntas hecho de pretérito imperfecto

Question

(lo siento si "hecho de pretérito" no es correcto, corrigeme por favor si no es correcto.)

Can you use the imperfect in posing a question? Another thread was made and I want to know if I was correct in my advice.

The question in that thread posed was 'how do you say what was I thinking?"

I said there were two ways, one using the estar + gerund form and one using the imperfect, was I wrong. Can you form a question like this using the imperfect?

¿Qué estaba pensando? Or,

"¿Qué pensaba?"

Would qué pensaba be confuse with "what I was thinking?", or is this confusion put to rest because they didn't use "lo que pensaba?"

I vote. - Destroyed99, Sep 7, 2009

Answer 1

I answered with ¿Que estaba pensando? So I hope that is at least one of the correct ways of asking that question.

I just wanted to let you know I appreciated the fact that you answered the member's question in such a way that they had to do some of the thinking. I think there are too many people posting questions that they could easily figure out themselves.

Yes thats true Nicole-Baile - Destroyed99, Sep 7, 2009

The rules are the rules, hehe, I made a mistake earlier and answered someone's question without waiting for them to make a first attempt, but it is very hard not to just answer people's questions. I guess I have an instinctual desire to try to show off. - Fredbong, Sep 7, 2009

Answer 2

¿Qué estaba pensando? Or, "¿Qué pensaba?"

What makes me want to say?: "¿De qué estaba pensando Ud.?" o ¿En qué estaba pensando Ud.?

I don't know, it would seem very strange for me to include Ud. in that sentence. - Fredbong, Sep 8, 2009