How do I use indefinido and imperfecto in the same text?
I got an assigment to write about my childhood. However, I have to cooperate both indefinido and imperfecto in the same text. How do I do that?
2 Answers
I think this is what you're looking for:
Use preterite for specific things that happened in the past, use imperfect (generally) for things that were going on in the background (e.g. the sun was shining), your feelings, your age, the weather, etc. Also, there are sentences which have both the imperfect and the preterite in them such as: When I arrived home, my mother was making dinner. Arrived would be in the preterite, your mother making dinner would be imperfect. Things that were going on, without any mention of their duraction, their beginning or their ending go in the imperfect.
In addition to the article which contrasts the preterite and the imperfect you can find articles specifically about the preterite and the imperfect. You should read those also.
OK, just to get you started: One summer it was (imperfect, describes the situation) very hot. I went (imperfect, because it was a habitual action) to the pool almost every day. I was (imperfect, age) 13 years old. One time when I went (preterite, one time event) to the pool I met (preterite, one time event) a friend who was (imperfect, not an event, just a status) in my class at school and we ate (preterite, one time event) some ice cream that was (imperfect, a status) very cold.
