Game: rules for imperfect / preterite
You'll find this game very amusing, because it is not about getting the right or the wrong answer, but being creative.
Here is a small list of typical "uses" that you can find in books and Internet pages about when to use one tense or another:
(1) Imperfect is used with habitual or repeated actions
(2) Preterite is used with actions that happened just once.
(3) Imperfect is used to describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time
(4) Some words and phrases indicate specific time frames, and therefore signal the use of the preterite.
(5) Words and phrases indicate repetitive, vague or non-specific time frames signal the use of the imperfect.
(6) Imperfect is used to talk about an action that was going on in the past simultaneously with another.
(7) Imperfect is used to describe physical, emotional and mental states or conditions.
(8) The conjunction cuando is almost always followed by the preterit tense.
(9) Preterite is used for actions that were part of a chain of events
Basically, this list is pointless, because you can find countless counterexamples to nearly all of them, and other rules are as pointless as saying that imperfect can be used to talk about fruits, which is not wrong, but it doesn't help, because all tenses can be used to talk about fruits. Tell someone that imperfect is used to talk about fruits, and this person will write "Mañana comía manzanas" (Tomorrow I was eating fruits), because I'm talking about fruits. Yes, you can use it for fruits, but so can you with any other tense, so how is this rule helping me at all? All it does is to mislead me. These rules should not be given to students, which is why people struggle with these tenses.
The game goes as follows: you have to pick one rule, and use the tense that it is not mentioned in the rule to do exactly what the rule says you should do with the other tense. I.e. if they say that imperfect does this or that, write a sentence doing that, but using preterite instead.
P.S. Don't do them all in one go if you find it too easy. Let others try.
24 Answers
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(6) Imperfect is used to talk about an action that was going on in the past simultaneously with another.
Mientras veía la película, lloró.
Otros usos del imperfecto:
Manana comía manzanas de buena gana ( future)
Meaning: Mañana comería manzanas de buena gana.
¿Jugamos a que tú eras el príncipe y yo la princesa? ( present)
Meaning: ¿Jugamos a que tú eres el príncipe y yo la princesa?
(4) El martes pasado a las tres de la tarde estaba viendo el partido de fútbol.
5) Cuando era joven comí los mocos.
(6) Imperfect is used to talk about an action that was going on in the past simultaneously with another.
Comí y hablé al mismo tiempo
(7) Imperfect is used to describe physical, emotional and mental states or conditions.
Estuve muy enojado.
(6) Imperfect is used to talk about an action that was going on in the past simultaneously with another.
Llegué a la fiesta y llegaron a la vez.
(3) Imperfect is used to describe an action that occurred over an unspecified time
Nací en los Estados Unidos.
(8) The conjunction cuando is almost always followed by the preterit tense.
Cuando era joven vivía en California.
1) Imperfect is used with habitual or repeated actions
Almorzamos juntos todos los días.
9- Preterite is used for actions that were part of a chain of events
Me levantaba, desayunaba, vistia, y salía de la casa.
(2) Preterite is used with actions that happened just once.
Mientras me quedaba con Lazarus, me robaba todas los caramelos, lo negaba todo y echaba la culpa a su perrito Martín López-Zubero.
(1) Imperfect is used with habitual or repeated actions.
Cuando estaba ahí, comí pollo todos los días.
(5) Words and phrases indicate repetitive, vague or non-specific time frames signal the use of the imperfect.
Todos los días cuándo queríamos platicarnos fuimos a nuestro lugar especial.
Every day when we wanted to talk to each other we went to our special place.
(9) Preterite is used for actions that were part of a chain of events
Entonces sonaba la campana y todos salíamos corriendo.
(8) The conjunction cuando is almost always followed by the preterit tense.
Cuando era niño me gustaban los dulces.
