Cuando, Porque, que, mientras, como. Grammar help?

Question

Here are some questions I'm having difficulty with, I'd appreciate some help.

My answers are in bold, the book's are in italics, they are mostly different:

1. Cuando mis hijos estaban en el colegio, yo iba a cuidar personas mayores. - The book says "porque"
2. Mientras vivíamos en Italia, comíamos pasta todos los días. the book says this is right, but I don't understand the difference between Cuando and Mientras. It seems like sometimes "cuando" can refer to something happening for some period time, but sometimes it can't.
3. Ayer, porque había huelga de autobuses, tuve que coger un taxi. The book says "como".
4. Porque Rocio era una niña tímido, la llevé a un centro especial. The book says "Como"
5. Porque tenía mucho trabajo, me quedé en la oficina hasta las 9. The book says "Como"

(The exercises are from Aprende 2 published by SGEL)

Thanks for any help, explanations, links etc. you could give me to help me understand this.

9 months later I gave birth to the answer below. - rabbitwho, Jan 10, 2012

P.s. Don't buy Aprende 2 by S G E L. It will leave you confused like this constantly. Try Gramática Básica del Estudiante de español by Difusión. - rabbitwho, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 1

I don't really understand your problem. These correspond exactly with the meanings in English. When and while are often synonymous. So are because and as.

Because he is taller than me, he can more easily reach it.

As he is taller than me, he can more easily reach it.

While we were living in Spain, I learned a lot of Spanish slang.

When we were living in Spain, I learned a lot of Spanish slang.

discussion on cuando vs mientras

discussion on porque vs como

I don't see any definite rules on when to use one or the other coming from natives either. I'm wondering if it has something to do with verb tenses. When I lived (preterite) While I was living (imperfect)?? Not a clue. Sorry!

I know what the words translate to, and if I didn't I could use a dictionary, but could you explain why the answers I gave to the sentences above were wrong? - rabbitwho, Apr 11, 2011

Are you saying it's a mistake in the book? Becuase it seems to me that if the words were synonymous there wouldn't be an exercise dedicated to the difference between them, and more than one possible answer would be given to each question. - rabbitwho, Apr 11, 2011

Sorry, but you did not explain that your answers were marked wrong. If you have a book telling you the differences why are you asking what they are? - 0074b507, Apr 11, 2011

The book doesn't tell men the differences. I thought it was clear the book gave a different answer to what I gave, but it seems that it wasn't, so I'll go back and edit. Sorry. - rabbitwho, Apr 11, 2011

Thanks for your edit:) I'd found those threads on google too, I really wish the book would explain the difference instead of making it clear there is a difference but not what that difference is! I guess it's "Inductive" - rabbitwho, Apr 11, 2011

Answer 2

_____ mis hijos estaban en el colegio, yo iba a cuidar personas mayores.

There are two clauses here:

my brothers were in high school

I was going to care for older people

They need to be joined by a conjunction--in English, you would use because, since, or as. That would correspond to como or porque in Spanish, and many would say como sounds better for the same reason that many English speakers refrain from starting a sentence with because, even when it's allowed.

If the second clause were:

I cared for older people

Then using while or when would sound more natural in English, and cuando or mientras would sound more natural in Spanish, and the first phrase would be functioning as an adverb.

I think your book is making some arbitrary choices when more than one alternative is acceptable.

Answer 3

I now know why the last three were wrong.

Como is used to introduce information that the speaker assumes the listener already knows, and is placed at the start of a sentence when it's being used in this way.

Porque was just awful there, awful.

I understand the difference between Cuando and Mientras better now, but it's too complicated to explain, it goes along with learning about the indefinite preterite and the imperfect one. They do not translate into English, not really.

Oh Rabbit, it really is all very difficult. - annierats, Jan 10, 2012

Answer 4

Rabbit, I was going to say the last two, definitly are como.

Apart from that, I would throw the book out of the window,instead of that poor puppy...( for those that don't understand this reference to puppies, just go to a game about preterite verbs...) I agree with you, some thing don't really translate. I just can't actually understand the meaning of the subjunctive...As life is always so fagile and in doubt why is it any more doubtful that John will arrive ? ( This John, clearly an unreliable person, is always given as the example..)

Hee hee Annie :D - rabbitwho, Jan 10, 2012