Preterite/Imperfect help!

Question

I learned that you use the imperfect tense for any description of the past. What if you were to say, "I was happy yesterday"? Yesterday is a clue word for the preterite, but you're talking about a description of the past.

So...would I say, "Yo estuve feliz ayer" because I'm referring to a specific time [yesterday]?

Or...would I say, "Yo estaba feliz ayer" because I'm talking about a description of the past?

Ayudame, por favor. ¡Muchas gracias! That picture shows my expression at the moment

Answer 1

I learned that you use the imperfect tense for any description of the past.

That works quite well, but it is not a "rule".

What if you were to say, "I was happy yesterday"? Yesterday is a clue word for the preterite, but you're talking about a description of the past.

So...would I say, "Yo estuve feliz ayer" because I'm referring to a specific time [yesterday]?

Or...would I say, "Yo estaba feliz ayer" because I'm talking about a description of the past?

Forget about time, because imperfect is not about time, but about lack of definiteness. Both sentences are correct, if you ask, but with "estuve" you contemplate the entire process, and you assume it to reach an end. With "estaba" you don't even think about beginning or end; you just see the moment as it happened, with you being happy; what follows after that is not what imperfect is about.

Summing up: "estuve" implies an end, so you see the entire period, which clearly reaches a conclusion. With "estaba" you focus in a moment in the past, disregarding any references to start, end or length; you were there, and its end is not part of your story.

Great explanation, Laz! - Izanoni1, Jun 10, 2011

Every question I ask...you always have an excellent answer. Thank you! - SonrisaDelSol, Jun 10, 2011

Answer 2

Imperfect to describe the feeling throughout yesterday and preterite to describe an event.

Ayer estaba feliz porque te vi.

Estaba aburrido ayer hasta que me llevaron al cine.

Gracias - SonrisaDelSol, Jun 10, 2011

Answer 3

Sonrisa,

I've read the books like you, know the "rules" like you, understand when you are supposed to use the preterite and the imperfect... like you.

But I still mess it up. I just did today in the word-of-the-day exercise.

I think it's one of those things that takes time... and one day it will just "click" and we'll wonder why we had so much trouble with it.

Like Por/Para. A year ago I had no idea which to use. Now, some things sound down-right wrong if I use the wrong word.

"like you" ??!?? Say, what?! - Lector_Constante, Jun 10, 2011

Huh? - Tosh, Jun 10, 2011

I mean I am just "like her"... and that learning when to use which tense can be difficult. - Tosh, Jun 10, 2011

Thanks for the encouragement. It's definitely a tough topic!! - SonrisaDelSol, Jun 10, 2011

Answer 4

Yo estuve feliz ayer (por cinco minutos, horas etc) - I was happy yesterday, for about 5 minutes.. blah blah..

Yo estaba feliz ayer, pero algo pasó que me puso triste.- I was happy yesterday, until something happened that turned me sad.

Is that understandable.

Answer 5

Ambas son correctas, también puedes decir "Ayer estaba feliz", "Ayer fuí muy feliz", "Ayer andaba feliz", etc.

Hope it helps!

Thank you - SonrisaDelSol, Jun 10, 2011