struggling with preterite vs imperfect
Cuando "I was" Pequeña, "I had" un perro "named" Toby.
Everyone explains that cuando has a preterite verb that follows... but the spanishdict translator said it was imperfect.
4 Answers
Hello cameroni,
Welcome to our Spanishdict community forum 
You said/ asked
struggling with preterite vs imperfect Cuando "I was" Pequeña, "I had" un perro "named" Toby. Everyone explains that cuando has a preterite verb that follows... but the spanishdict translator said it was imperfect.
Cuando era pequeña, tenía un perro que se llamaba,Toby.
When I was (used to be) small I had (used to have) a dog called Toby.
You would use the imperfect because you are saying when I used to be small which is translated using the imperfect indicative.
You added:
Thank you, but why is it era when cuando is infront - Cameroni1234 6 mins ago
As Dani says: it is "because you are small over a period of time"
It all depends on what you are trying to say:
When was Jade's birthday party? = ¿Cuando fue la fiesta de cumpleaños de Jade?
The preterite tense is used for actions that have already been completed at some time in the past! Jade's party has happened, it has finished!
When we were young we used to play on the beach every Saturday! = Cuando éramos joven, jugábamos en la playa todos los sábados!
The imperfect indicative tense is used to express an action or state of being in the past that was continuous in the past and its completion in the past is not indicated! Like in the case for the word 'small," the word 'young'also indicates a state of being that took place over a period of time!
I hope this helps
Corrijan mi español si es necesario, por favor
Hi, and welcome.
I'd like to add a bit to Feliz's excellent answer.
Everyone explains that cuando has a preterite verb that follows
Um, no.
Thank you, but why is it era when cuando is infront
There is no rule that cuando is followed by the preterite.
What you might have read or heard is that the preterite is commonly used after cuando because: We frequently use the imperfect to describe what was happening when (cuando) something interrupted, and the preterite to describe the interruption. My mother was preparing dinner when I got home. Mi madre estaba preparando la cena cuando llegué a casa. (Cuando plus preterite.) The dinner preparation was an ongoing thing and then, in some particular moment, I got home.
Did I mention that this is very common?
But, we (also commonly) use cuando in other contexts to describe things in the past. Habitual things, ongoing things. Cuando José tocaba el piano, María cantaba. When José played the piano, María sang (regularly, habitually, all the time) . Cuando estábamos en México, comíamos mucho. When we were in Mexico, we ate a lot. (The time period is unspecified.) Here the imperfect is very naturally used after cuando.
By the way, a great way to find information about things such as this is to search the Q&A of SpanishDict. By doing so, you'll encounter gems like this.
Don{t lose heart, Cameroni. Many of us have been working on this for years and still guess wrong from time to time. It is just not instinctual for native English speakers. Great news is that there are some really experienced and generous folks here who are happy to help.
I have never heard the 'rule' that cuando must be followed by the preterite, in fact the narrative/ description cuando era is common. The preterite deals with actions completed in the past. Your teacher may have drawn a timeline showing when the various tenses slot in.
Here is an article which may help you.
Why not try posting some sentences here? There are many Spanish speakers more experienced than me, who will correct them.
