Using imperfect multiple times in a sentence
I'm translating the following:
- (A) "At seven-twenty in the morning, I brushed my teeth
- (B) "while I washed my face with soap.
- (A) "I gobbled cooked white rice with miso soup"
- (B) "while I ate bread coated with plenty of jam.
- (A) "I did my homework in the mornings right before class
- (B) "while I returned books I had borrowed from Grandfather.
- (A) "I played outside with my friends after class
- (B) "while I sat in a dark, cold, desolate cell by myself.
(A & B) "Neither of us knew happiness nor unhappiness until we reunited."
- (A) A las siete y viente en la mañana, me cepillaba las dientes
- (B) mientras me lavaba la cara con jabon.
- (A) Yo comía arroz blancas con la sopa miso
- (B) mientras yo comía el pan con demasiada mermelada.
- (A) Hice la tarea justo antes la clase primera manana
- (B) mientras yo devolvía los libros que yo habria pedir prestado de mi abuelo.
- (A) Despues de clases aburridos, yo jugaba afuera con mis amigos
- (B) mientras yo jugaba en mi celda solo, por mi mismo.
- (A and B) Ninguno de sabíamos felicidad o dolor hasta nos reunimos.
First, am I supposed to use imperfect tense (imperative mood) until line 9? Second, if so, is line six completely in imperfect tense (imperative mood), i.e. "Mientras yo devolvía libros que yo había pedir prestado de mi abuelo"?
To whomever aids me, thank you.
P.S. Out of curiosity, can imperative and subjunctive moods be mixed in the same passage?
3 Answers
As Daniela said, these are clauses and not complete sentences, so you need a complete sentence that provides some context to be able to determine if the verbs should be imperfect or preterite, which should have been given to you by your teacher. Without context, this silly exercise is a waste of time.
Also note that imperative is not imperfect. Imperative is what we call a verb that has the conjugation of a demand.
Mientras yo devolvía que yo había pedir prestado de mi abuelo
The verb pedir should be conjugated to pedido and you have over-used the pronoun yo and depending on context, it should possibly not be used at all. Also it´s better to use the pronoun lo before que.
If it is homework, and it looks to be homework, you really should do it yourself.
If you are fond of gobbling rice for breakfast, I can only advise you to slow down, have a cup of tea and don't eat the toast at the same time, even if coated with plenty of jam. Note that jam is VERY bad for your health, as is gobbling food at any time of day, or, indeed night.
¡ Felices fiestas! in your cell, why are yo in prison?
Muy bien, amigo, voy a intentar a darle unas revisiones y correcciones a estas frases.
I'll just copy and past what you put in your question then correct the translations in bold.
L1gH72n0W
I'm translating the following:
(A) "At seven-twenty in the morning, I brushed my teeth
(B) "while I washed my face with soap.
(A) "I gobbled cooked white rice with miso soup"
(B) "while I ate bread coated with plenty of jam.
(A) "I did my homework in the mornings right before class
(B) "while I returned books I had borrowed from Grandfather.
(A) "I played outside with my friends after class
(B) "while I sat in a dark, cold, desolate cell by myself.
(A & B) "Neither of us knew happiness nor unhappiness until we reunited."
(A) A las siete y veintede la mañana, me cepillaba las dientes
(B) mientras me lavaba la cara con jabón
(A) Yo comía arroz blanco con la sopa de miso
(B) mientras yo comía el pan con mucha mermelada.
(A) Hice la tarea por la mañana justo antes de clase.
(B) mientras yo devolvía los libros que yo le había pedido prestados a mi abuelo.
(A) Después de clases aburridas, yo jugaba afuera con mis amigos
(B) mientras yo jugaba en mi celda solo, abandonado.
(A and B) Ninguno de nosotros conocíamos la felicidad o el dolor hasta que nos reunimos.
