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
Original Sentence But rather than hearing the creaking of the rocking chair and the rhythm of knitting needles punctuating the night, the sweet melancholic voice of a young woman singing wafted through the morning air caressing his ears and they twitched in response. I hope you don't mind MC, I took some liberties with your sentence.
Translation: Pero en vez de oír el crujido de la mecedora y el ritmo de las agujas de tejer puntuando la noche, un canto, dulce y melancólíco, de una joven flotaba en el aire de la mañana acariciando los oídos y sus orejas se contrajeron en respuesta.
Explanation: Imperfect for flotar because the music floating on the air was ongoing, setting the scene. Preterite for contraerse because his ears twitching happened in a second or two, not an ongoing action. I thought about dropping "de tejer" because in the context of this story I felt it would be understood. What do you think?
New Sentence: The sorrowfulness of the melody brought to his mind the memory of his poor mother who was so ill she could not rise up from her bed of grass and his big eyes started to fill with tears, but he gathered together all his courage and reached out with his trunk to knock on the door of the healer.
Given:But rather hearing than the sound of a rocking chair and knitting needles he heard the sound of a young woman singing. It was a sweet melancholy sound and he twitched his ears in response.
Translation:Pero en vez de escuchar el sonido de una mecedora y las agujas de tejer, escuchó el sonido de una muchacha cantando. Era un sonido dulce y melancólico, y él sacudió sus orejas en respuesta.
(I deliberately mistranslated "twitch" - I think my choice works better in Spanish)
Explanation: Escuchó: preterite. He heard this once and then it was over. Era - Imperfect - the sound continues to be sweet and melancholy. Sacudió: Preterite: This action was completed.
New Sentence: His reverie was suddenly and rudely broken by a booming voice from inside the house: "Did you come all this way just to stand out there all night swishing your stupid big ears at my door?"
Sentence Given:
They thought they solved the problems by moving to another city, but nothing was what it seemed.
Translation:
Pensaban que resolverían los problemas trasladándose a otra ciudad, pero nada era lo que parecía.
I used the imperfect here because there is no set timeframe.
New Sentence:
My children and their friends were playing in my house when one of them fell and broke a lamp.
Given Sentence: He almost missed a doctor appointment and the last time he missed one they charged him fifty dollars.
Translation: Estuvo a punto de perder una cita con el médico y la última vez que perdió una, le cobraron cincuenta dólares.
Reason: I used preterite for all of the verbs because they were all actions that took place and were finished in the past.
New Sentence: Outside, the night was as black as death, the wind howled a ghostly cry, and the bony fingers of the trees scratched at the windows, but inside the little cabin the little old lady was happy as she continued knitting and rocking in her rocking chair by the fire.
Given: Two of the victims who were shot were members of the police.
Translation: Dos de las víctimas abaleadas eran miembros de la policía.
Explanation: While maybe the unfortunate victims are no longer alive, they never stopped being members of the police. So the tense is imperfect.
New Sentence: The Elephant understood the frame for what it was. In a panic, he dropped the gun and ran into the labyrinth o dark, smelly alleyways.
Given:
Matthew had an accident while he was driving because he fell asleep at the wheel.
Translated:
Mateo tuvo un accidente mientras estaba conduciendo, porque se quedó dormido al volante.
Reason:
tuvo - preterite - one off singular occurence at a precise moment
estaba conduciendo - imperfect - setting the scene (I didn't use conducía because I was focusing on a particular part of a "developing action which had a start and an end" - would that be right (quote Lazarus but quite possible misapplied by me lol)
se quedó dormido - fell asleep - singular action.
New Sentence:
Years ago the mobile phone didn't exist.
I have real trouble describing weather in the past so this is probably way off - also rather than a direct translation I want to know (please) how to talk about the weather like a local lol 
So all corrections and suggestions gratefully accepted!
Given:
Have you had sunny weather lately? (Has it been sunny lately) I saw on the news that it was cloudy there yesterday.
Translated:
¿Ha estado soleado últimamente? Vi en las noticias que estuvo nublado allí ayer.
or EDIT
¿Han tenido sol por allá últimamente? Vi en las noticias que allí estuvo nublado ayer.
(I wanted to use había but that doesn't work does it?? Or should it just be estaba - ahhhhh, save me someone!)
Reason:
preterite - estuvo for specific time
New Sentence:
Matthew had an accident while he was driving because he fell asleep at the wheel.
Given:
My children and their friends were playing in my house when one of them fell and broke a lamp.
Translated:
Edit: Mis niños y sus amigos estaban jugando en mi casa cuando uno de ellos se cayó y rompió una lámpara.
Mis niños y sus amigos jugaban en mi casa cuando uno de ellos se cayó y rompió una lámpara.
Mis hijos y sus amigos estaban jugando en mi casa cuando uno de ellos cayó y rompió una lámpara.
Reason:
jugaban or estaban - imperfect, scene setting
se cayó & rompió - preterite, interrupting action
(also se cayó instead of just cayó because it was an accident)
New Sentence:
Have you had sunny weather lately? I saw on the news that it was cloudy there yesterday.
Given:
"Maté used to be a favourite of mine," said the elephant, "but since knowing you I would rather drink chicha full of toothless old women's saliva."
Translation: (with some helpful edits from Gekko - especially the 'toothless' bit - nice word )
"Maté solía ser una de mis favoritas", dijo el elefante, "pero desde que te conocí, preferiría tomar chicha llena de saliva de viejas desdentadas.
Reason:
solía ser - used to be : imperfect/ongoing action in past
dijo - said : preterite - completed action
conocí - preterite as I feel it's stressing knowing as in meeting (rather than generally knowing)
preferiría (conditional) would prefer
New Sentence:
The man refused to speak.
Given:
This week I walked for four hours everyday
Translation:
Esta semana caminé por cuatro horas todos los días.
Reason:
Although the phrase "todos los días" indicates the imperfect, the time period of "por cuatro horas" made me chose the preterit.
New Sentence:
When I was a little girl I had a doll named Sally.
Given:When I was a little girl I had a doll named Sally.
Translation: Cuando niña, tuve una muñeca llamada Sally".
Explanation: The event is over. The person had a doll, but does not anymore. Preterite.
New Sentence:The Elephant looked aghast. "I always thought you were a man!!", he said.
Given:
Then a wet and frightened elephant ran into the room and destroyed everything in its path.
Translated:
Luego, un elefante mojado y asustado entró en el cuarto corriendo y destruyó todo a su paso.
Suggested edit: (for style's sake and we all want to be styley now don't we
Seguidamente, un elefante irrumpió en cuarto a la carrera, aterrado y mojado, destruyendo todo a su paso.
Reason: actually I found that a bit tricky to translate - the 'ran into' bit so I'll be interested to see how it should be, but anwyay . . .
entró y destruyó - preterite for completed singular action in the past
New Sentence: (I do like Mr Freezes idea of carrying on the story so I'll do the same )
The elephant came from the local circus and now stood dazed and bewildered in the room.
Given: The elephant came from the local circus and now stood dazed and bewildered in the room.
Translation:El elefante venía del circo local, y ahora se detuvo en el cuarto, aturdido y desconcertado.
Explanation: Venía - imperfect, a continued action that has not quite finished yet. Detuvo - preterite. The elephant is standing still, done moving. The action is thoroughly ended.
**New Sentence: ** He couldn't believe his eyes: sitting comfortably in the easy chair by the corner, with a wry smile in his face, was none other than his old nemesis, M. VIveculotte. In his hand he held a steaming gourd of maté.
Given:It was August 8, 2008, the day my son got married, and I was very happy.
Era el 8 de Agosto de 2008, el día que mi hijo se casó, y yo estaba muy contenta.
Explanation Era- imperfect: the day has not finished. Casó: preterite - over and done with. Estaba: imperfect. She continued to be happy ever after, finally having gotten the kid out of her hair!
New Sentence It was a dark and stormy night in Puerto Rico, and the wind moaned ominously, when suddenly a flash of lightning projected a disturbing shadow against the eerily floating curtains.
Just a little note to let everyone know that we have some extra help coming on board - poor Gekko is flat out like a lizard drinking this month so while he takes care of business we can be grateful for a little backup starting (as you can already see) with Guillermo!
I'm sure I can say thanx so much G2, on behalf of everyone participating on this thread, we're wrapped to have you on board, all help gratefully accepted
