Preterit vs. Imperfect - verbs of emotion

Question

Can someone tell me the difference in meaning of the following preterit and imperfect sentences. I thought all emotion in the past was imperfect but I understand that is not always true. If the preterit is incorrect, could I change the sentence is some way to make it correct? (Imperfect sentence comes from grammar section of spandict.com). Sentía feliz con mi trabajo nuevo. (I was happy with my new job.)
Sentí feliz con mi trabajo nuevo.
Quería mudarme a otro país. (I wanted to move to another country) Quise mudarme a otro pais.
As always, all help appreciated. Pat

Answer 1

Hi pat,

I'm certainly no master at the preterite and imperfect, I still struggle sometimes to find out which to use... But heres my take at it:

When you want to make a sentence which doesnt include any sort of context (ayer, la semana pasada, todo el tiempo..), think of a timeline. This is especially workable for emotion verbs.

Now, on this timeline, if you can fit the action with a single "check-mark," the preterite is used. If you need an extended point, the imperfect it used.

(Okay, I had a very nice explanation with a timeline and everything...when I actually posted it..IT DISSAPEARED ALONG WITH EVERYTHING I WROTE!!! I spent like 15 minutes on that thing....sheesh! If i get around to it Ill make another one. I just can't beleive that happened! Very dissapointing)

Anyways,

Quería decirte algo, pero se me olvidó.

Querer is in the imperfect because it happens over uspecified time, you need more than just a mark on a timeline to express it. And olvidar is in the preterite. You can put on the timeline one check to signify it, and the fact that you now know that you forgot it signifies that the action is complete, hence the preterit.

Thank you Brady. I appreciate your efforts on this. So if I wanted to use quise, a preterite form, I would have to add a particular time ie: Last year, I wanted to move to a different country? Thanks Pat - patc, Apr 4, 2012