Is it ok to switch between the imperfect and the preterit?

Question

(in sentences if you are telling a story (or in general)

If it is only ok in some situations, please give an example or two of how to make it work out. Thanks.

Answer 1

Yo andaba por la calle cuando me caí. Mientras me caía me di cuenta de que el suelo estaba mojado.

I was walking down the street (continuous action in the past) when I fell (completed action in the past). Whilst I was falling (continuous action in the past) I realised the floor was wet (completed action in the past).

You can clearly see here that caer has been used in both the imperfect and preterite so yes, they can be mixed even with the same verb.

Answer 2

it might help if you picture it like a movie.... for example when there is just a snapshot or it shows one specific action in a scene eg. the girl switched off the lights-la chica apagó la luz. however if it shows a continuous action such as - the girl was running through the streets - la chica corría por la calle. also usually when describing a state (mental) the imperfect is usually used...here are some verbs which are usually in the imperfect:- poder-to be able to saber-to know ser-to be estar-to be sentirse-to feel (happy, bad, good, tired etc) hope this helps

Thanks for the info! - Alicia-53, Nov 16, 2009

Answer 3

Hi zmanuel, You might like to read the following articles by Paralee...

1. Preterit tense
2. Imperfect tense
3. Progressive tenses

Answer 4

The imperfect can generally translate to be what someone was doing or used to do. It sets the background knowledge or scenery for a story.

Estaba durmiendo cuando el teléfono sonó.

The Preterit is used to describe completed actions in the past at specific points in time.

Regresé anoche a la medianoche.

Estaba durmiendo cuando el teléfono sonó. Después salí y regresé a la medianoche.

I was sleeping when the phone rang. Later I went out and came back at midnight.