Past or imperfect
I have seen "estuvimos" and "estábamos" as meaning "was doing" but I don't know which one to use in which case.
I thought the latter was used always to say you were doing something. What are the rules that apply to using either of these? Are they they same as for the usual past versus imperfect?
For instance, did I use these correctly?
Anoche estuvimos bailando toda de la noche.
Cuando éramos niños, siempre estábamos bailando.
If possible, could anyone who answers this provide examples of the correct usage?
Thank you.
1 Answer
Yes, the rules are the same as for any other verb between preterite and imperfect.
Take care not to say past or imperfect. Imperfect is also a past tense. You can say simple past vs. imperfect or preterite vs. imperfect in addition to using the somewhat lengthier Spanish terms for these tenses.
Your examples show perfectly when each is used.
For a great number of examples and explanations you can search for estuvo vs estaba on the main question page here on SD in the search box.
You can also enter estuve or estuvo in context.reverso.net
Then enter estaba.
Look at the sentences provided and try to understand why one was used vs the other.
Note that simple past vs imperfect is not always a matter of "rules." The choice of one versus the other can simply reflect the speaker's attitude about the event or situation.
You might also enjoy reading Lazurus' comments in the following post:
Verb Tense, Mood and Aspect (although not directly related to your question)
