G A M E - Preterite vs Imperfect
Objective: practice in the use of the past tenses, preterite & imperfect
The rules:-----------------------------
-
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
-
state whether you used the preterite or the imperfect and give a short explanation as to why you used it
- and finally
-
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
Corrected sentence: Thanks Gekkosan!
Casi nunca he visto a mi amigo enfadarse, pero estaba muy disgustado cuando su coche nuevo fue dañado ayer.
Given Sentence:
I almost never saw my friend get angry, but when his new car was damaged yesterday he was really upset.
Casi nunca vi a mi amiga enfadarse pero cuando su coche nuevo sufrió dañado ayer estaba muy disgustado.
I used preterite for vi because if she saw him this way, it is over and done. I used preterit for the car getting damaged because that is a completed past action and the imperfect for feelings.
New Sentence:
My friend called and wanted me to go to Tennessee with her, but I can't because I couldn't leave my family for a week.
Given-When I was a child, I spoke and reasoned as a child.
Translated- Cuando era niño hablé y razoné como sea niño.
Corrected version: Cuando era niño hablaba y ranzonaba como niño.
Reason - Ser in imperfect cuz it sets the scene. Hablar and razonar in preterit because the time period in which they occur has a definite beginning and end... At least that's what I thought, but apparently even when it's known in which period the habit took place we still requiree imperfects. so it's 3 imperfects in one sentence.
New - Yesterday was one of those days where everything went wrong.
Given: The two boys met on the internet when they were in junior high and later set up a successful computer company. Last Saturday, Vincent was the best man at Marco's wedding.
Attempt: Los dos chicos se conocieron cuando estaban en la escuela secundaria y después comienzaron una empresa de computación. El sabado pasado, Vincent fue padrino en el budo de Marco.
Corrected version: Los dos chicos conocieron cuando estaban en la escuela secundaria y después comenzaron una empresa de computadores. El sábado pasado, Vincent fue padrino en la boda de Marco.
Reasons: The 3 preterits are all single events. Estar in the 1st sentence sets the scene for the meeting and is thus in the imperfect.
New: By the time they had finished their homework it was already midnight.
Given sentence:
She tried her best to learn it but her brain stubbornly refused to comply.
Translation:
Hacía lo posible para aprenderlo pero el cerebro tercamente se negaba/ se negó a cumplir
Imperfecto : mental actions
New sentence:
I almost never saw my friend get angry, but when his new car was damaged yesterday he was really upset..
Given: My Mom always went to the same hairdresser, but yesterday he was sick, so she went to a new one and she was not happy with her hairdo.
Translation: Mi madre siempre iba al mismo peluquero, pero ayer estuve enfermo. Así que fue a uno nuevo, y no estaba contenta con su peinado.
Reason: Imperfect "ir" for the habitual past action of going, preterite "estar" for him being sick as it was specified that it was yesterday, preterite "ir" because she went to the new one once, imperfect "estar" because I read this as she was and will continue to be unhappy (at least until she gets it fixed by her regular hairdresser).
Phew! There was a lot in there!
New: She tried her best to learn it but her brain stubbornly refused to comply.
Given: Yesterday was one of those days where everything went wrong.
My translation: Ayer era uno de aquellos días cuando todo me salió mal
Reasoning: salió preterite because the action happened...the day is over
New sentence: When my dog was young he had a limp
Given-The boys hardly slept that night, they were so overexcited about their adventure.
Translated- Los chicos casi no dormí ese noche ellos eran tan de por arriba emocioné sobre sus aventura.
Correction: Los chicos casi no dormían esa noche porque ellos eran tan sobreexcitado sobre sus aventura.
Reason - Used preterite because it was "that" night so action was completed.
New - When I was a child, I spoke and reasoned as a child.
Cuándo terminaron sus deberes, ya sería la medianoche
I've used preterite because they finished their homework...done dusted
Cúando terminaron sus deberes, ya era la medianoche.
I've used preterite because they have finished the action of their homework.
My question:
I had been in Brighton for 4 weeks before the sun shone
Second correction:
Ya había llamado al mesero para pagar (por) las bebidas, cuando se dio cuenta de que le habían robado (los bolsillos).Gekkosan
Corrected sentence: Thanks Gekkosan!
Ya había llamado al mesero para pagar por las bebidas cuando se dío cuenta que le habían robado los bolsillos.
Given sentence:
She had already called the waiter to pay for the drinks when she realised that her pockets had been picked.
Ya había llamado el mesero a pagar para las bebidas cuando dio cuenta que sus bolsillos había estado hurtado.
Reasons The past perfect with the imperfect of haber is used to describe an action that happened before another action.había llamado (First she called the waiter) Darse cuenta = to realize always uses the preterit Había estado hurtado = past perfect with imperfect of haber and gerund of estar for been. Can you have two gerunds together?
New Sentence; She always wore gloves when she was cold, but today she forgot to wear them.
Given: I really used to love when my mother cooked lunch for me because I didn't have to do any work.
Attempt: Me gustaba muchísimo cuando mi madre me cocinaba las comidas porque no tenía que auydarla./
2nd attempt: De verdad amaba cuando mi mamá me preparaba el almuerzo porque no tenía/ había que hacer ningún trabajo. ( I much prefer gustar to amar here, but I'm trying hard to do a literal translation this time) .
3rd attemt: De verdad me gustaba cuando mamá me prebaparaba los almuerzos porque no yo no hacía ningun trabajo.
Reasoning: This state of affairs went on over aprolonged, undefined period: imperfect. Possiblly 'cuando' indicateds subjunctive but I just hope this is a plain statement .
New: I waited for a long, long time for the parcel but it never arrived.
Given: I took the new tablets for a couple of weeks but I only felt worse and worse.
Attempt : Tomé las pastillas nuevas por unas semanas pero estaba peor cada vez más.
Attempt 2: Tomé las pastillas nuevas por unas semanas pero sentía cada vez peor.
Reasoning: First is a habit that went on for a specific period of time, so we need the preterite. The second is a feeling in the past, which calls for the imperfect.
New: She had already called the waiter to pay for the drinks when she realised that her pockets had been picked.
New Sentence: I was going to watch the movie alone but my wife wanted to see it too.
Translation: (Yo) iba a mirar la película sola pero mi esposa lo quería ver también.
Corrected: Iba a ver la película solo, pero mi esposa también quería verla.
Reason: I used imperfect for both "ir" and "querer" because neither takes place in a specified time frame. It feels like the beginning of a story that ends "so we went to see it together last night."
Note: I was unsure whether I should use the subject pronoun or not in this case as the conjugation for "ir" is the same for both 1st and 3rd person.
New Sentence: I traded all my money for magic beans but they didn't grow into a beanstalk.
Given: I traded all my money for magic beans but they didn't grow into a beanstalk.
Traducida: Cambié todo mi dinero por frijoles mágicos, pero no se convirtieron en un beanstalk.
Reason: Hmmmm, They were all a one off action. I think?
New: I was going through a bad time when I got drunk, I didn't realise how idiotic my actions were.
Given: Yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, but it was not ready yet,
Translation: Ayer fui a la farmacia a recoger una receta, pero ya lo todavía no estaba lista.
Reason: My going to the pharmacy was a one-time completed event, so preterite. The past state of the prescription being not ready is imperfect because it is a continuing indefinite condition.
New: My doctor gave me the new prescription when I saw him yesterday.
