G A M E Ser y Estar en el pasado
How to play:
1) Translate the given sentence using ser or estar in the appropriate past tense.
Bear in mind that there will often be more than one 'correct' anwer but try to convey the meaning of the author.
2) Give the reason why you chose that particular verb and tense.
then
3) Leave another short sentence that includes the English verb 'to be' (which can be translated with either ser or estar) describe something in the past.
finally
4) If necessary supply some context to allow the next person to convey your exact meaning.
I shall start us off: 
Given:
Charlotte Bronte was an English novelist and poet.
Context:
This is the opening line of a biography with lots of info to follow.
Translated:
Reason:
I chose to use _________ because ..........
36 Answers
Charlotte Bronte was an English novelist and poet.
Charlotte Bronte fue una novelista y poeta inglesa.
Fue because she is dead and she always was a novelist and poet, and that did not change. Era would indicate that she is no longer a novelist and poet.
Your father was a good man.
Context: None needed right?
To clarify on whether Brontë fue or era:
Strictly in the context given:
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet.
The only possible option is "fue". She was, firmly in the preterite. She's passed on. She's no more. She's given up her mortal coil, etc.
Are there contexts where "era" is a likely choice? Yes of course, but you must provide that context:
Las hermanas Brontë fueron reconocidas escritoras del siglo XIX. Charlotte era novelista, y la mayor. Emily era poetisa y Anne, la menor, era ensayista (I'm just making this up, not trying to be historically accurate here). Las tres tenían un hermano que era pintor.
Las hermanas Brontë se destacaron por sus escritos melodramáticos, sacarinos e insoportables. Charlotte fue culpable de perpetrar el texto de tortura Jane Eyre, pero fue superada con creces por Emily, cuando escribió la putrefacta Wuthering Heights, para eterno horror de la humanidad.
Clarification:
Those boys were very naughty last night.
Ser travieso: ser inquieto y revoltoso
Anoche esos chicos fueron muy traviesos.
Anoche esos chicos eran muy traviesos
Not posible. It could be: Los chicos eran muy traviesos hace unos años (but now, they are not)
Estar travieso: mostrar un comportamiento inquieto y revoltoso en un determinado momento (Los chicos son por lo general tranquilos, pero ayer estaban/estuvieron traviesos)
Esos chicos estaban muy traviesos ayer por la noche.
Esos chicos estuvieron muy traviesos ayer por la noche.
Given:
The movie was an all-time hit!
La película fue un éxito total.
New sentence:
It's been wonderful knowing you.
Just filling the gap here
Given sentence:
The movie was an all-time hit!
(not your particular opionion, the whole world thinks so)
Given:
Your father was a good man.
Translated:
Tu padre fue un buen hombre. (if i was at his funeral merely passing a comment about his passing)
Tu padre era un buen hombre que ....... (if I'm about to tell a story about
something great that he did)
New Sentence:
Those boys were very naughty last night.
Dinner was delicious last night.
I would say "La cena estuvo deliciosa anoche."
Your father was a good man.
I am starting a new answer because the comments in the previous answer were demasiado y demasiados (un chiste )
You can use fue or era in describing the deceased Charlotte Bronte as a novelist and poet. There are differences in sensibility, which I frankly don't completely understand, but I think native Spanish speakers get confused here as well. Check out this thread:
and you'll see what I mean.
Very clever eeeickythump a double up
Given Sentence:
When I was a child, I was often unwell.
Translated:
Cuando era niña a menudo estaba enferma.
Reason:
Era for descriptions in the past and estar/imp for states in the past.
New sentence:
Dinner was delicious last night.
The frog lived in a swamp.
La rana vivía en el pantano. (unfortunately there's no ser or estar in this sentence.)
Imperfect tense used because we are describing "the way things were" over a period of time in the past, rather than describing a specific event.
My sentence:
When I was a child, I was often unwell.
Given:
Matt was trying to provide us with a sentence which contained ser or estar in the past.
Translated:
Matt estaba intentando proporcionarnos una oración que contenga ser o estar en el pasado.
Reason:
Past progressive = estar in the imperfect + present participle
New Sentence:
He was handsome but he was also very mean.
Hi KiwiGirl
BlockNew Sentence:
Those boys were very naughty last night. quote
The conumdrum of preterite vs past imperfect. It depends on the context, as it stands in this sentence it is:
"Aquellos niños estuvieron muy traviesos anoche".
By saying "los niños estaban muy traviesos anoche" there's continuation to the action that suggests "and then what happened?"
Cuando era niño estaba enfermo a menudo
Given: I chose for this sentence to be a little easier than the last one had been.
answer: Elegí que esta frase fuese un poco más facíl que ha sido la última.
Reason: Wow, the grammatical part. Well, I know by heart that you say "es faciíl" so I used ser. And the ser for ha sido .. well I chose it because....... it is a permanant state of "the last one" (?)
new sentence: I has been ten years since I have been in France.
Given Sentence:
The place was very dark.
El lugar era muy oscuro.
Reason: describing a scene in the past.
New sentence:
My father was a civil engineer in the Navy.
Given Sentence:
My father was a civil engineer in the Navy.
Translated:
Mi padre fue ingeniero civil en la Armada.
New sentence:
Who was the best in the competition?
