G A M E - Preterite vs Imperfect
Objective: practice in the use of the past tenses, preterite & imperfect
The rules:-----------------------------
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translate the English sentence given by the person above into Spanish using the correct preterite or imperfect verb conjugations
make sure you click on N E W E S T before you begin
Then
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state whether you used the preterite or the imperfect and give a short explanation as to why you used it
- and finally
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provide a new sentence in English which includes a verb used in the past
for the next person to translate.
Have fun! ¡Diviértanse!
A suggestion: please keep your sentences simple. This is tricky stuff, so let's concentrate on the tenses, ok? - Gekko.
PS: here's a great link showing how the preterite is for action in the past whereas the imperfect is an ongoing condition in the past: Imperfecto vs Preterito and another that I've put together that may be of some use too, Pret vs Imp.
A big thanks to Gekko who 'was' kindly correcting this thread - Gekko if you have a mo' please post a thread below introducing yourself or post empty thread for me to introduce you, thus allowing the grateful participants to vote for all your hard and much appreciated work here 
Edit - Sadly Gekko doesn't come round much anymore :( we'd love it if he did but in the meantime any corrections or suggestions are gratefully accepted and if someone would like to volunteer to help with moderation of this game, that'd be awesome, please just let us know so we can welcome you officially to the possie (as us antipodeans say (ie. position))
388 Answers
Given: I tried to get out of bed, but my feet seemed glued together.
Translated: Intenté a levantarme, pero los pies parecían estar pegados juntos.
Reason: I was a little unsure about paracer, but i decided to go ahead and use the imperfect because they were like this over an unspecefied period of time, also one could say that it is "background" information or it states how something was. Intentar would be peterit, because its "one and done."
New: (Look at gringo's post below.)
Given:But in reality they were just tangled in the sheets
Attempt: Pero, en realidad, sólo se habían enrededado en las sábanas.
Reasoning: ongoing...and I've just read that we should use 'haber' more..
New:: Strangely, when I put my hands down to untangle the sheets, the skin on my legs felt very odd. Was it skin?
Given: Suddenly I found that I was breathing freely underwater and instead of legs I had a tail.
Translation: De repente supe que estaba respirando libremente abajo el aqua y en lugar de las piernas tenía una cola.
Reasoning: Supe because the realization occurs in an instant, estaba respirando because this is a continoue action and tenia just sounded better than tuve.
New: With my new tail I found that I could swim much faster.
Given:Last week when we went to the beach, we swam, drank cerveza and ate ceviche while the kids played in the water.
Translation: La semana pasada fuimos a la playa y nadamos ,bebimos unas cervezas y comimos ceviche mientras los niños pasaban un rato jugando en el mar.
Reasoning: The preterite as it was a one off outing at a defined time. I would agree that it may have gone on for a good while and could be the background to a shark coming iun and eating the children up, which would change it all..
New: It was a lovely outing until the life-guard suddenly shouted: 'Sharks! Sharks!'
New: It was late at night, and the air was cold.
Translation: Era tarde de noche y el aire se sentía frío.
Reasoning: Imperfect because it appears to me that you're scene-setting for something that will happen in the next sentence. If it is the whole story, maybe it should be in the preterite, but it would be a very dull story!
New sentence: The building work went well to start with, but once the inspector arrived, everything slowed down.
Given Sentence: It was early in the morning and I was not fully awake when I heard a knock on my door.
Era temprano en la mañana y no había despierto completamente cuando oí un golpe en la puerta.
Reasoning. Imperfect for time and the interrupted action. Preterite for the interrupting action.
New Sentence: After many years she lost her battle to live when her kidneys failed.
New Sentence: The building work started well, but after the inspector arrived everything slowed down.
Translation: La construcción de edificio comenzó bien, pero después de que el inspector de edificios llegó todo el trabajo se retardó.
Reason: Preterite for "comenzar" y "llegar" because you start or arrive only in an instant, then you cease starting or arriving. "Retardar" could have gone either way I think, but I chose preterite because I am working on the assumption that the work resumed its usual speed after the inspector left. That puts the slowing down in a specific time frame.
PS: Sorry, annie, for changing your original sentence a bit. 
New Sentence: It was early in the morning and I was not fully awake when I heard a knock on my door.
Given Sentence: After 6 months of trying he eventually gave up.
Attempted translation:Intentaba hacerlo para seís meses antes de se dio por vencido.
New try:: Tras de seis meses de intentarlo se dio por vencido???
Reasoning: The trying went on over a period of time and was the back-ground to giving up, which was a one off action.
New sentence: It rained and rained and after some thought, Noah purchased a large load of wood.
Given Sentence: It rained and rained and after some thought, Noah purchased a large load of wood.
Translation: Llovió y llovió y después de pensarlo un poco, Noah compró una gran carga de madera.
Reason: Llover is preterite because the action started and ended. Comprar is preterite because it is a one time event that took place in the past.
New Sentence: It was 5 o clock in the morning when the phone rang.
Given: A long time ago people believed the Earth was flat and that it was the center of the universe.
Translation: Hace mucho tiempo la gente creía que el mundo era plano y que estaba en el centro del universo.
Reason: ser for a quality, era because it was a state that was true at that time. Estar for location, estaba because it was a state / situation true at that time. Because what they beleived actually isn't true I'm wondering if I shouldn't use the subjunctive and say "fuera" and "estuviera" but we'll find out!
New Sentence: After 6 months of trying he eventually gave up.
**given ** Before I didn't know much about Spanish grammar but last week I learnt a lot aout ser and estar.
translation Antes no sabía mucho sobre la gramática española pero la semana pasada aprendí mucho acerca de ser y estar.
reason.. I used the imperfect for saber as before last week indicates something you were not aware of in the past. and preterit for aprender for something you found out about at a specific time in the past. ( but then again I stand to be corrected ) having trouble with the reason section of this thread . New sentence.
I started walking for my health 3 years ago.
Given:Even though I saw the murder take place, I decided to stay not involved because of the high threat of gang activity.
Translation: Aunque vi al homocidio , resolví a no involucrarme en estas cosas, porque no me gustaba arriescarme con las activades mafiosas.
Reasoning: The murder was a one off, sen once and the decicion was also made only once. I just think gustaba sounds better...
New Sentence: Once I had determined to commit suicide I immediatly searched out the tallest towerblock and climbed all the stairs, only to find that the only accessible window was too small for me to climb out, without risking being stuck, neither in, nor out. This sentence may be shortened, as you please!
Given: Our teacher was very old but one day he surprised us by jumping onto the desk like a youngster.
Translation: Nuestro profesor era muy viejo pero un día nos sorprendió al saltar en el escritorio como un jovencito.
Reasoning: well him being old was a state or a thing that was true in that period, while his jumping on the desk was something which happened only once, or at least I'm only talking about one time.
New: I saw the puppy was going to fall so I stood under the window hoping to catch him.
Given: Because I was fired from my job last week, I applied to several businesses downtown.
Translation: Ya que me despidieron de mi trabajo la semana pasada, solicité trabajo en el centro con varias empresas.
Reason: "Being fired from the job" is presented as a single, completed action and requires the preterite. Likewise, the act of applying for jobs is viewed in the same way and also requires the preterite.
New sentence: Upon entering the room, I was greeted by the screeching sound of hundreds of agitated bats.
Given: When I was young I liked to fish when my family went on vacation.
Translation: Cuando era joven me gustaba pescar cuando mi familia iba de vacaciones.
Reasons:
- I used imperfect ser because that is the tense you use when talking about age so I presume that also includes vague statements about age such as "when I was young".
- Imperfect gustar and ir because I'm talking about something that was habitually done and not a one off and done occurrence.
New Sentence: When I was 6 years old my parents bought me a puppy for my birthday.
