different preterit

Question

I'm so facinated & shocked by your useful website, we're 5 spanish learners in a class that are learning spanish language for 1 year, but the problem is that no one of us could understand the existing difference between the continues form of the preterit tenses in spanish L. For Example the difference between "He estado comiendo", "Estuve comiendo" & "Estaba comiendo" all of which in our opinion only mean: "I was eating". Thank you again so much.

Welcome to SpanishDict. - rac1, Nov 29, 2014

Answer 1

You're half wrong (pessimist)

You are half right (optimist)

Yo comí = I ate

Yo comía = I ate/ I would eat (past, not conditional)/ I used to eat (blah blah)

Yo he comido - I have eaten

I was eating = yo estaba/estuve comiendo

Nothing weird, unless English is not your native language.

Edit:

"I used to dance with María and Jose on Saturdays." = Acostumbraba/solía bailar con María y José los sábados.

"I danced with María and Jose on Saturday." = Bailé con María y José el sábado

I was dancing with María y José on Saturday when... = Bailaba con María y José el sábado cuando...

Better?

Good answer, Chileno. Thanks! Quick question: what is the difference between estaba and estuve? - Winkfish, Nov 29, 2014

Estaba = imperfecto, Estuve = preterito http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/268764/preterit-vs-imperfect-hellppppp - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 30, 2014

Estaba = imperfecto, Estuve = preterito I listed some SpanishDict references to good explanations of the difference in use between them here: :) http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/268764/preterit-vs-imperfect-hellppppp - - Suzanne_Romijnders, Nov 30, 2014

Answer 2

Winfkish, "estaba" and "estuve" are both past, but "estaba" is in the imperfect, and "estuve" is in the preterite.

The imperfect means one used to do something. The preterite is used when something in the past has a beginning and an end.

Por ejemplo, para el imperfecto, "Yo estaba bailar con María y Jose los sabados" -- "I used to dance with María and Jose on Saturdays."

Para el pretérito, "Estuve bailar con María and Jose el sabado" -- "I danced with María and Jose on Saturday."

Espero que conteste a su pregunta.

Close but.... I am going to use your answer and do corrections. OK? - chileno, Nov 29, 2014

see my edit - chileno, Nov 29, 2014