Imperfect vs. Preterite Help!

Question

I was given this homework and I did the whole thing but I just wanna see if I actually understand the difference between the imperfect vs preterite. So, could you try the following exercise yourself and tell me what you got...Im just trying to learn, not cheat!

• Hace ocho años (1. me gradué/me graduaba) de la universidad.
• (2. Saqué/Sacaba) mi título en periodismo. -
• Siempre (3. Esperaba/Esperé) encontrar trabajo en uno de los periódicos grandes de la ciudad donde (4. nacía/nací).
• (5. Quería/Quise) quedarme en Tejas porque mis padres y mis hermanos vivían allí.
• Por desgracia, no (6. hubo/había) empleo en ningún periódico del estado.
• Por lo tanto, yo (7. mandé/mandaba) mi currículum vital a varios periódicos por todo el país.
• (8. Tenía/Tuve) suerte.
• (9. Encontré/Encontraba) trabajo de reportero en un periódico que (10. se publicaba/se publicó) en Maine.
• Al principio la vida en Maine me (11.fue/ era) muy difícil.
• Yo no (12. conocí/ conocía) a nadie donde (13. viví/vivía) y no (14. estaba/estuve) acostumbrando al clima.
• ¡(15. Hacía/Hizo) un frío horrible en invierno!
• Pero un día yo (16. conocía/conocí) a Marta quien (17. trabajó/trabajaba) en el periódico también)
• Ella (18. fue/era) editora.
• ¡Y (19. era/fue) un flechazo para nosotros (love at first sight)!
• En fin, Martay yo (20. nos casamos/nos casábamos).
• Yo (21. llegaba/llegué) a ser jefe de redacción (editor-in-chief) del periódico.
• Marta y yo (22. tuvimos/teníamos) dos hijos.
• ¡Y todos (23. vivimos/vivíamos) muy felices (we all lived happily ever after)!

These were my answers:

• 1) me gradue;
• 2) saque;
• 3) esperaba;
• 4) naci;
• 5) queria;
• 6) habia;
• 7) mande;
• 8) tuve;
• 9) encontre;
• 10) se publicaba;
• 11) fue;
• 12 conocia;
• 13) vivia;
• 14) estaba;
• 15) hacia;
• 16) conoci;
• 17) trabajo;
• 18 ) fue;
• 19) era;
• 20) nos casamos;
• 21) llegue;
• 22) teniamos;
• 23) viviamos

changed formatting to be more legible. - 0074b507, Nov 11, 2011

Answer 1

My own answers:

1 Me gradué = I graduated It is a completed action. A person does this once for each qualification they obtain so I would use preterite

2 Saqué mi título en periodismo. Again this is a completed action You obtained your qualification it is therefore not an ongoing action.

3 Siempre esperaba encontrar trabajo en uno de los periódicos grandes de la ciudad donde You were always /used to be always looking for work so the imperfect would be used as this is talking about what you used to do!

and ( 4). nací You/people are born once (physically) so the preterite is used here..

Quería quedarme en Tejas porque mis padres y mis hermanos vivían allí.

The imperfect would be used for a description of a mental (emotional or physical condition: I wanted ( ie I was wanting) to stay in Tejas because my parents and my brothers used to live there/were living there. The preterite would also not be used because some verbs change their meaning in the preterite quise = I tried when used in positive sense and quise means = I refused in a negative sense.

Por desgracia, hubo/había) empleo en ningún periódico del estado.

Preterite since this is a completed action.

7 Por lo tanto, yo.mandé/mandaba) mi currículum vital a varios periódicos por todo el país.

I would say preterite again since it appears to be a completed action.

1. Tenía/Tuve) suerte. Preterite

9 Encontré/Encontraba) trabajo de reportero en un periódico que (10. se publicaba/se publicó) en Maine.

9 Preterite Encontré/Encontraba) trabajo de reportero en un periódico que (10. se publicaba/se publicó) en Maine. since you are talking of an action that has been completed at some time in the past. 10 I would use imperfect here as the newspaper used to be published in Maine.(Habitual action requires the imperfect)

11.Al principio la vida en Maine me11.fue/ era) muy difícil

Imperfect Talking about how life used to be ( I am not sure about this one)

12 Yo no . conocí/ conocía) a nadie donde ......

Imperfect: Since conocer is another of the verbs that change their meaning in the preterite.In the present it means to know but in preterie means ''met'' that is introduced to for the first time.

(13. viví/vivía) y no (14. estaba/estuve) acostumbrando al clima.

imperfect since you were being/becoming accustomed to the climate so it is a description of a physical condition in the past

15 Hacía/Hizo) un frío horrible en invierno!

Preterite since this is a completed action

1. conocía/conocí) a Marta quien

Could be either depending on whether it is talking about being introduced to for the first time: preterite or used to know Imperfect habitual action (Please see note on previous example using conocer above)

(17. trabajó/trabajaba) en el periódico también)

Imperfect since this refers to habitual action

Ella (18. fue/era) editora. imperfect since she used to work as editor (habitual action uses imperfect)

¡Y (19. era/fue) un flechazo para nosotros (love at first sight)!

I think this would use preterite

En fin, Marta y yo (20. nos casamos/nos casábamos).

Preterite since the fact that you got married is a completed action

21. Yo llegaba/**llegué)** a ser jefe de redacción (editor-in-chief) del periódico.
Marta y yo

Preterite completed action

1. tuvimos/teníamos) dos hijos.

Again completed action in the past

23 ¡Y todos vivimos/vivíamos) muy felices (we all lived happily ever after)!

Imperfect as it refers to a description of an emotional state

This is my best effort I cannot guarantee that ther are no mistakes Let's see what native Spanish speakers and other more advanced speakers make of it

I hope this helps

Corrijan mi Español por favor

Answer 2

Hi, Uilly!

We would really appreciate it if you posted your answers in addition to the exercise itself.

That way, we could correct you if you're wrong. It's very helpful to learn from your mistakes.

okay, here are mine: - uilly, Nov 10, 2011

me gradue; saque; esperaba; naci; queria; habia; mande; tuve; encontre; se publicaba; fue; conocia; vivia; estaba; hacia; conoci; trabajo; fue; era; nos casamos; llegue; teniamos; viviamos - uilly, Nov 10, 2011

Thanks so much for posting them :) - SonrisaDelSol, Nov 10, 2011

thanks for willing to help - uilly, Nov 10, 2011

Answer 3

Most of the answers you give look correct to me. I would make numbers 17 & 18 imperfect, because Marta wasn't an editor for just one moment when you met her. That was an ongoing situation.

Unfortunately, in many Spanish classes the difference between preterite and imperfect is presented as being very clear cut. It's not so. Sometimes it can go either way depending on the point of view of the speaker. You might want to reconsider # 11 because that was also an ongoing difficulty--it wasn't just one event. I think I would also change # 22. In this case the imperfect makes it seem that you had children for a period of time, but you don't have them any more. The preterite indicates that you had two children (an event, rather than a continuing situation). I know that sounds a little contradictory, but it gives more of a flavor of you becoming parents of two and says nothing about whether you still have those children.

Looks like Q and I are basically in agreement. He's correct on 19--I missed that one. - CalvoViejo, Nov 11, 2011

Answer 4

17) I would have used trabajaba. (background setting)

18) era (no sense of time nor completion)

19) fue (sense of completion)

A lot of these imperfect/preterite are subjective depending on your viewpoint of the situation. It is usually the speaker/author who chooses the tense, depending on the nuance that he specifically tries to evoke: (habitual, ongoing, or over-and-done-with).

Answer 5

Can anyone help Uilly?