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: My doctor gave me the new prescription when I saw him yesterday.
Translation: El medico me dio una receta nueva cuando le vi ayer.
Reason: Preterit porque hay un tiempo determinada de cierto.
New: I always hated going to the dentist.
Given: She always wore gloves when she was cold, but today she forgot to wear them.
Translated: Siempre llevaba guantes cuando tenía frío, pero hoy se olvidó llevarlos.
Reason: Imperfect for 'wore gloves' because it was an indefinite condition. Preterite for 'forgot' because it was a single complete event earlier today.
New Sentence: I was going to watch the movie alone but my wife wanted to see it too.
New: I cried for help and my mother called for the doctor.
Attempt: Lloré ¡Socorro! y mi madre llamió al doctor.
Attempt 2 (after Gekko's input): Pedí auxilio y mi madre llamó al doctor
Reason: A sequence of actions calls for preterites.
New: She didn't want to go to the party until Juan invited her.
Correct version: Thanks, Gekkosan!
Esperé por mucho, mucho tiempo, pero el paquete nunca llegó.
Given sentence:
I waited for a long, long time for the parcel but it never arrived.
Esperé por muchisimas horas para el paquete, pere lo nunca llegó.
I used the preterit because of completed past action that is completed. I don't think I am still waiting. However I am probably wrong.
New Sentence.
Yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, but it was not ready yet,
Given: My doctor gave me the new prescription when I saw him yesterday.
Attempt : El médico me preparó una receta nueva cuando lo visité ayer.//
Very literal: Mi médico me dio una receta nueva cuando lo vi ayer.
Reasoning: All in a defined, short time-span: Preterite.
New: I took the new tablets for a couple of weeks but I only felt worse and worse.
Given: At the party we drank wine and danced until dawn.
Translated: A la fiesta, bebimos vino y bailamos hasta la madrugada.
Reason: One time, single events that can be fitted on a timeline with a single point.
New: I really used to love when my mother cooked lunch for me because I didn't have to do any work.
Given: She didn't want to go to the party until Juan invited her.
Translation: Ella no quería ir a la fiesta hasta que Juan la invitó.
Reason: Imperfect "querer" because her not wanting to go was ongoing (at least until Juan invited her) and preterite "invitar" because he did it and then it was done.
Note: I feel like invitar should be subjunctive from the little bit that I have read about subjunctive tense, but it's beyond me at this point in my learning so I shall leave that to Gekko. 
New Sentence: At the party we drank wine and danced until dawn.
Given: So I ran into the water to save Paco from the sharks even though I was scared to death.
Translation: Aunque estaba aterrado corrí al agua para librar a Paco de los tiburónes.///(this should be disregarded as it contains to many errors).
Correct version, thanks to Gekkosan :Así que corrí al agua para salvar a Paco de los tibures, a pesar de que estaba mortalmente asustada / a pesar de que tenía un terror de muerte...
Reasoning: MM, first I have simplified the sentence. Possibly ' aterorizado al puente del muerte? ' but it seemed hard enough already, estar for a feeling that lasted throught the event? The running in the preterite, it's the main happening.
New sentence: Poor Paco was swimming very fast but I saw a dorsal fin just behind him and I dived forwards, whilst shouting for help.
Given: With my new tail I found that I could swim much faster
Translated: Con mi cola nueva, supe (me di cuenta de) que podía nadar mas rápido.
Reason: Using saber in the preterit can be translated to say "found out," and using poder in the imperfect can mean "could." All in all, this would make sense because finding out is a one time action (dot on a timeline,) and being able to do something happens over a unspecified period of time (line on a timeline).
EDIT: Me di cuenta de in the preterit as it is a one time event,- thanks Gekkosan!
New: And then I woke up, and realized that I had been dreaming the whole time!
Given:
I struggled for breath as the monster pulled me down into the depths of the sea.
Translation:
Luché por aliento mientras el monstruo me arrastraba en las profundidades del mar.
Reason:
I started off with luchaba but in the end preferred the pret version (with a little help from the Gek-Man - gracias 
so luché viewing it as a completed action and the pulling down was ongoing (imp) )
New Sentence:
Suddenly I found that I was breathing freely underwater and instead of legs I had a tail.
Given:
Poor Paco was swimming very fast but I saw a dorsal fin just behind him and I dived forwards, whilst shouting for help.
Translated:
Pobre Paca estaba nadando muy rápido pero vi una aleta dorsal justo detrás de él, me tiré hacia adelante mientras yo gritaba por ayuda.
Edit gracias a Gekko:
El pobre Paco nadaba muy rápido, pero vi una aleta dorsal justo detrás de él, y me lancé adelante mientras gritaba por ayuda.
Reason:
past continuous uses estar in the imp to describe something ongoing at the time, vi - to see something is a one off action which takes the preterite, gritaba; imp for ongoing shouting
New Sentence:
I was making good ground when all of a sudden I felt the pulpy tentacles of a giant squid wrap themselves around my ankle.
Given: I was making good ground when all of a sudden I felt the pulpy tentacles of a giant squid wrap themselves around my ankle.
Translation: Iba ganando tereno cuando, de repente, sentí los tentáculos de un calamar gigante atrapándome el tobillo.
This sentence owes quite a lot to Gekkosan, many, many thanks!
Reasoning: The swimming ( imperfect) is the ongoing action when the disaster strikes ( preterite) . I'm sorry to have missed out the 'pulpy' I fear we will get flagged for frightening the children soon.
New: I struggled for breath as the monster pulled me down into the depths of the sea.
Given: It was a lovely outing until the life-guard suddenly shouted: 'Sharks! Sharks!'
Translated: Era un tiempo muy lindo hasta que gritó de repente la socorrista que, "Los tiburónes! Los tiburónes!"
Reason: Era is in the imperfect because it is telling how things were (thanks to Annie for some clarification), and gritó is in the preterit because it is a single event, done and competed (or you could say you can put it on a timeline with a single "point" instead of a "line")
New: When I saw the confusion and chaos, I realized that Paco, my dog, was still swimming in the water!
Given: After many years she lost her battle to live when her kidneys failed.
Translsation attempt:
Finalmente, después de una larga lucha por su vida, le fallaron sus riñones y murío.
Reasoning: It sseems to me to be a clear case for the preterite, as dying only occurs at a specific point in time..
New Sentence: The funeral took place soon afterwards and her son gave a moving speech.
Given Sentence: We wanted to get to know the new neighbours but they refused to speak to us.
Translation: Queríamos conocerles a los vecinos nuevos pero se negaron hablarnos.
Reasoning: We wanted could be imperfect because the period of time is not specified but I chose the preterite because it means we tried which I think more clear reflects the intent of the sentence. I used preterite for refused as it is a completed event. I could have use querer here as well but opted for negar.
New Sentence: Last week when we went to the beach, we swam, drank cerveza and ate ceviche while the kids played in the water.
