Imperfect vs. Preterite - Past Job

Question

Hey everyone,

I have my Spanish final tomorrow, and we have to write about the Spanish architect, Gaudí. If I were to say, "Gaudí was an architect from Spain," would I say, "Gaudí era un arquitecto de España," or "Gaudí fue un arquitecto de España." Distinguishing between the imperfect and preterite is incredibly difficult for me, and any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Gaudí fue un célebre arquitecto español.

Answer 2

I agree with polenta1's answer above, the preterite version of ser is used when referring to facts in the past or a specific event that is already finished.

Ex. "Parece que la carrera fue ayer." Ex. "La ultima vez que limpié la casa fue el 4 de abril."

The imperfect form of ser is used when describing something in the past, such as an ongoing even with no clear beginning or end. In a sense, you are setting up an ongoing scene when you use the imperfect tense of ser.

Ex. "Cuando era niño, me gustaba viajar a la casa de mis abuelitos." Ex. "Quién era?" "Eran los hombres que te quieren matar"

It is also helpful to note that there are some cases in which either can be used correctly, but the meaning will slightly change.

Ex. "Jorge fue mi amigo" - Jorge was my friend (but something happened and now he's not). Ex. "Jorge era mi amigo" - Jorge was my friend (and he may still be because imperfect describes situations with no clear beginning and end).

I hope that might clear up some confusion with the preterite vs. imperfect usage with ser, although there may be better ways of describing it.