how do you say: Remember when...?

Question

I have a project when we have to talk about holidays.... I'm doing a video to include all the holidays... ex: Remember when I dressed up as Santa for christmas? ; then flashing to that time.. and etc

Answer 1

¿Recuerdas cuando me vestí como el Padre Noel para la Navidad? - Remember when I dressed up as Santa for Christmas?

Maybe if you're setting the scene, you should use the imperfect tense instead of preterit(?):

¿Recuerdas cuando me vestía como el Padre Noel para la Navidad?

And if you're talking to more than one person you should use "Recuerdan ustedes cuando..."

NO... I think you are correct in using the simple past/preterite tense here.originaly unless the person USED to regularly dress up - FELIZ77, MAY 14, 2010

I have just read the original question the person wrote dressed (simple past) not used to dress/was dressing (imperfect) - FELIZ77, MAY 14, 2010

What I was saying is, if she was setting the scene to tell what happened when she dressed up as Santa, then it would be appropriate to use imperfect tense. - bmancornelious, MAY 14, 2010

If you go to More > Reference > Spanish Verbs > Imperfect at this site, you will find this "[The imperfect tense] is used mainly to describe past habitual actions or to set the scene in the past." - bmancornelious, MAY 14, 2010

Answer 2

If this is about holidays I would expect you to need to work with "I/we/they used to" as well as "I/we/they did whatever" rather than just the one off time that you dressed up as Santa. If this is so, you'd be better off using "soler" rather than a simple Imperfect.

"Remember how we used to sit in the full sun" - "te acuerdas como soliamos sentarnos en pleno sol" (in the habit of) rather than "remember that we sat in the full sun" "te recuerdas que sentiamonos en pleno sol" (that is more times than once).