Comenzó/comenzaba

Question

Hi again!

Do you say "La chica comenzó a caminar por el bosque" o "la chica comenzaba a caminar por el bosque" ?

I don't know if I should use preterite, because she only walked around the forest once, but at the same time I don't know If it's like a description..

Answer 1

Hello again! On its own the sentence "La chica comenzó a caminar por el bosque" makes perfect sense. It would translate as "the girl began to walk ..."

The other sentence could also make sense, "la chica comenzaba a caminar por el bosque", if the intention is to set the scene for another action to take place, e.g. "the girl was beginning to walk WHEN something else happened" "la chica comenzaba a caminar por el bosque cuando se cayó" - the girl was beginning to walk through the woods when she fell. The second event which interupts the first is in the preterite.

Remember the imperfect can be used to decribe actions that set the stage for another past tense event

That's right! In my case, it's only the simple sentence without any other actions. But, I will think of using the imperfect when I write "actions that set the stage for another past tense event." Thanks you so much for your help and time! :D - Spanishsweden, Sep 22, 2016