Will you check my preterite vs imperfect sentence?

Question

1. Las hermanas andabas a caballo cuando llegaron sus amigas
2. Ellos se bajaban del caballo cuando veían a sus amigos
3. este año él me invité a pasar el mrs de enero con él
4. Mucha gente esperaba el bus y llegaba completo

Thank you!

Answer 1

I don't know your level of Spanish, nor where you got these. I am a high intermediate level learner, and not a native speaker.

Las hermanas andabas a caballo cuando llegaron sus amigas.

The sisters you were riding on horseback when their friends arrived. The verb andabas is not conjugated to the subject las hermanas. You need andaban. The use of imperfect and preterit seem appropriate.

Ellos se bajaban del caballo cuando veían a sus amigos.

They were getting off the horse when they were seeing their friends. Are these the same friends, you switched amigas to amigos and las hermanas to ellos. In many cases you can choose imperfect or preterite, but making this entire sentence imperfect seems odd to me. I probably would have wrote:

Ellos se bajaron del caballo al ver a sus amigos. They got of the horse upon seeing their frineds. Are they on the same horse? If not I might consider de sus caballos. But I am not native. If you do not want to use al ver, it seems more appropriate cuando vieron. The actions seem short, completed, one time events, that would be best in preterite.

este año él me invité a pasar el mrs de enero con él.

I will assume mrs is a typo for mes. This year he I invited myself to spend the month of January with him. The él implies it is the subject, but you conjugated to yo, you do not need the él, but if he invited you "Este año me invitó a pasar el mes de enero con él". If you invited yourself, simply drop the él, but keep invité- but that seems less likely.

Mucha gente esperaba el bus y llegaba completo.

Many people were waiting for the bus and it was arriving full. It seems llegaba should be llegó to me. It arrived full. I actually think it would be less confusing to me personally if you wrote:

Mucha gente esperaba el bus, pero llegó completo. Many people were waiting for the bus but it arrived full.

I don't know what a native speaker would think there.

There could be other errors I did not detect. I am going to bed now. so I will not be responding to any further clarifications, but I still thought I would share my thoughts.

Good going, Bosque. - Daniela2041, Dec 19, 2016

Although the "cuando vieron" might be what the assignment was asking for. - Daniela2041, Dec 19, 2016

That is why I included it. Even if I prefer my version. :) - bosquederoble, Dec 19, 2016