Preterite vs. imperfect in Spanish composition?
I'm doing a composition for my Spanish 130 class about my childhood and I am super confused on when to use preterite and when to use imperfect. I tried to use the logic to pick which one I thought I would use at the end of the sentence, but could someone help me to see if i'm right?
My dad worked at a ski resort and painted houses in the summer. (imperfect) My mom still is a massage therapist. (present) We went on beautiful hikes in my childhood.(imperfect) My mom and I sang in the car together. (imperfect) My dad and I rode our bikes everywhere. (imperfect) We rode to the recycling center and I looked in the bins for old comics. (imperfect) My mom dad and I lived on the second floor of our apartment building.(preterite) Every Christmas my mom decorated the porch with lights. (Preterite) One Christmas firefighters came to our neighborhood and gave us gifts. (preterite) My dad and I played soccer in a small stretch of grass by the railroad tracks. (imperfect) At my preschool we went on bird walks and kept a garden. (imperfect) I spent a lot of my childhood in South Carolina but my favorite and clearest memories come from Colorado. (imperfect)
1 Answer
My dad worked at a ski resort and painted houses in the summer. (imperfect, correct, as long as it was a repeated action, and not just once) My mom still is a massage therapist. (present) We went on beautiful hikes in my childhood.(imperfect, correct) My mom and I sang in the car together. (imperfect, right, as long as you are talking about multiple occasions, something habitual) My dad and I rode our bikes everywhere. (imperfect, correct) We rode to the recycling center and I looked in the bins for old comics. (imperfect, umm.. this sounds like more of a one time thing, in which case it would be preterite.) My mom dad and I lived on the second floor of our apartment building.(preterite, I'd go with imperfect, because it sounds more like background than something with a definite time frame) Every Christmas my mom decorated the porch with lights. (Preterite, no, imperfect, as it is "every Christmas, something habitual) One Christmas firefighters came to our neighborhood and gave us gifts. (preterite, correct) My dad and I played soccer in a small stretch of grass by the railroad tracks. (imperfect, depends, if this is something habitual that you did quite a bit, then yes, imperfect) At my preschool we went on bird walks and kept a garden. (imperfect, correct) I spent a lot of my childhood in South Carolina but my favorite and clearest memories come from Colorado. (imperfect correct)
