Fue o iba?

Question

Hola a todos
I have to choose pretéritio imperfecto or pretérito indefinido in a series of sentences and I am really unsure about this one sentence, with ir and romperse:
El sábado, cuando fue al mercado, mi madre se cayó y se rompió un brazo
I have highlighted my own answers in bold. Does this seem right or should it be iba and/or se rompía?
I think because the sentence begins "El sábado", el pretérito indefinido should be used. I am more unsure of romperse.
Gracias de antemano por sus respuestas.

Answer 1

In the first clause you can either iba or fue.

The other answers explain well the use of iba.

To use fue would indicate that she fell sometime after arriving at the market, so the choice here between imperfect and preterite depends on context.

Thanks, I was wondering about that, or if "mientras estaba/estuvo en el mercado" would be more clear in that context. :) - bosquederoble, Feb 22, 2015

Yes, that´s another way to say it - 005faa61, Feb 22, 2015

Thanks. :) - bosquederoble, Feb 22, 2015

Thank you, I think this is why I was confused over this particular question. I understood it as: She fell over at the market. But as the exercise seems to be about actions interrupting other actions, I have changed my answer to "iba". - escritorafantasma, Feb 22, 2015

That is classically what an exercise in an exercise book would want. Whatever the reality of what you can say in real life is. :) - bosquederoble, Feb 23, 2015

Answer 2

You were on your way to the market ("iba"). Tú mamá se cayó y se rompió el brazo.

You "were doing this". Imperfect tense. En un momento fijo se cayó y se le partió el brazo la mamá. Rephrase your sentence in English. "I was going to to the market....".

Thank you for your helpful explanations. I understand it much better now! - escritorafantasma, Feb 22, 2015

Answer 3

El sábado, cuando fue al mercado, mi madre se cayó y se rompió un brazo

To me the first part sets the scene: imperfect, especially as she presumably did not get to the market. The second happened, done deal, preterit

so iba and se cayó y se rompió

When she was going, she fell and she broke an arm

not when she went, and not she was falling and was breaking an arm.