estuvieron/fueron preñados de tension
Ayúdeme por favor a elegir la palabra adecuada para esta frase:
'Los encuentros entre estos dos hombres estuvieron/fueron preñados de tension'.
18 Answers
Everyone seems to be convinced about the "fueron" option, but I disagree.
"Estuvieron preñados" is definitely correct, as it means "estuvieron llenos" (were full of)
The passive alternative ("fueron llenados") would imply that they were filling the encounters with tension (the encounters were filled with tension by them), which is, in my opinion, if not ridiculous, quite a weird way of saying things. But then, if some natives prefer "Los encuentros fueron llenados de tensión" to "Los encuentros estuvieron llenos de tensión", then I'll give up.
I agree 100% with Lazarus. "estuvieron llenos" is the natural way of saying it. "Fueron llenados" sounds really odd.
You are right, but for the wrong reason. Both ser and estar can be used with the past participle of verbs, but they mean different things. Ser forms a passive construction, while estar describes a state.
La puerta estuvo cerrada [durante mucho tiempo].
La puerta fue cerrada [por el bombero].
Number 1 merely describes the door as being in a closed state. Number 2 tells us that someone (the fireman in this case) performed the action of closing the door, and therefore stresses the action of being closed (and the implied agent) rather than the state of being closed.
Ah, okay! That makes sense. Thanks for your explanation =]
To my understanding, "estuvieron" would be the correct verb to use because preñADOS is a past participle describing "los encuentros." ... please, let me know if I'm wrong.
You are right, but for the wrong reason. Both ser and estar can be used with the past participle of verbs, but they mean different things. Ser forms a passive construction, while estar describes a state.
- La puerta estuvo cerrada [durante mucho tiempo].
- La puerta fue cerrada [por el bombero].
Number 1 merely describes the door as being in a closed state. Number 2 tells us that someone (the fireman in this case) performed the action of closing the door, and therefore stresses the action of being closed (and the implied agent) rather than the state of being closed.
For example, you would say "Las tiendas estan cerrADAS" or "Yo estoy cansADA"
This is what I believe to be right, but I'm just a high school student studying Spanish, so please, let me know if I'm wrong.
Yes, endless, you are right, good job! 
Ayúdeme por favor a elegir la palabra adecuada para esta frase:
'Los encuentros entre estos dos hombres estuvieron/fueron preñados de tension'.
To my understanding, "estuvieron" would be the correct verb to use because preñADOS is a past participle describing "los encuentros." Therefore, being the past participle that it is, you would use a form of "estar."
For example, you would say "Las tiendas estan cerrADAS" or "Yo estoy cansADA"
Of course, I use the capital letters just to show the similarities between the past participles. This is what I believe to be right, but I'm just a high school student studying Spanish, so please, let me know if I'm wrong.
However the sentence that was posted at first, asking for which word is correct, is only correct when using fueron.
Marilee, I pretty much doubt that it is correct to use "fueron", but I can assure you that "estuvieron" is correct, because for starters, it is found in literary databases, as well as in numerous newspapers. Taken from the RAE corpus:
*El debate y los acuerdos en Madrid estuvieron preñados de estrategias que tenían un ojo...
...a la Kansas City y a la Hutchinson estuvo preñado de agrias disputas y acusaciones mutuas
Su voz estaba preñada de promesas.
La tierra está preñada de dolor tan profundo.
El aire estaba preñado de olores de trigo y de sol.*
The first two are from newspapers; the last three from famous writers.
Do you really say "La calle fue llena de gente" instead of "La calle estuvo llena de gente"? Just to remind you, "llena" and "preñada" are synonyms here.
Your rule about the use of ser and estar here is simply wrong, and using "fueron" produces a weird sentence.
I do apologize, it is a tense of ESTAR and NOT ser.
However the sentence that was posted at first, asking for which word is correct, is only correct when using fueron.
I meant for THAT Sentence.
INDICATIVE PRETERIT tense of IR is the following words"
FUI
FUISTE
FUE
FUIMOS
FUISTEIS
FUERON
SUBJUNCTIVE PAST TENSE
FUERA
FUERAS
FUERA
FUERAMOS
FUERAIS
FUERAN
INDICATIVE PRETERIT of SER
FUI
FUISTE
FHE
FUIMOS
FUISTEIS
FUERON
SUBJUNTIVE PAST
FUERA
FUERAS
FUERA
FUERAMOS
FUERAIS
FUERAN
INDICATIVE PRETERIT of ESTAR
ESTUVE
ESTUVISTE
ESTUVO
ESTUVIMOS
ESTUVIESTEIS
ESTUVIERON
INDICATIVE FUTURE
ESTARE
ESTARAS
ESTARA
ESTAREMOS
ESTAREIS
ESTARAN
INDICATIVE CONDITIONAL
ESTARIA
ESTARIAS
ESTARIA
ESTARIAMOS
ESTARIAIS
ESTARIAN
SUBJUNCTIVE PAST
ESTUVIERA
ESTUVIERAS
ESTUVIERA
ESTUVIERAMOS
ESTUVIERAIS
ESTUVIERAN
Estuvieron is exclusively about people, not things.
Really? Is this a new rule''?
Los altavoces estuvieron estropeados durante semanas.
La piscina estuvo llena todo el verano.
El edificio estuvo cerrado todo el día.
So, are all the above sentences wrong? Maybe I must re-learn my mother tongue again, then.
You wouldn't say: Ellos fueron esperando en linea por mucho tiempo.
No, but that's because this periphrasis is constructed only with "estar", and not because the subject it is a person.
Juan estuvo temblando durante varios minutos.
El edificio estuvo temblando durante varios minutos.
They were resting for a long time.
But you wouldn't say: Ellos fueron descansando much tiempo.
Again, same periphrasis: estar + gerundio.
El agua estuvo hirviendo durante un rato.
Estuvieron is a tense of estar and ser.
Estuvieron is the 3rd person preterite of "estar", and not "ser".
Be careful when you invent these rules, because someone could believe you.
Estuvieron is exclusively about people, not things.
That's incorrect. "Sus casas estuvieron en ruínas." Perfectly correct.
Estuvieron is a tense of estar and ser.
Estuvieron is only a tense of estar, and not ser.
The sentence is describing an action or a thing and it's doing so in plural. The answer then is fueron.
Estuvieron is exclusively about people, not things.
Those people were waiting in line for a long time.
Ellos estuvieron esperando en linea por mucho tiempo.
You wouldn't say: Ellos fueron esperando en linea por mucho tiempo.
Another twist on some phrases would be:
Ellos se fueron a dormir.
They went to sleep.
Ellos estuvieron descansando por mucho tiempo.
They were resting for a long time.
But you wouldn't say: Ellos fueron descansando much tiempo.
Fueron describes direct action.
Estuvieron describes that PEOPLE were doing something.
Estuvieron is a tense of estar and ser.
The answer is fueron because in the context of this sentence it is referring to a thing instead of a person. Estuvieron would be referring to a person or persons.
Why do you say that? I think it's just a case where estar refers to the state, and ser would put the verb into the passive voice, as has been mentioned already. "Fue llenado/preñado" means "it was filled (by somebody or something)," but there is no need for that meaning here, because the sentence only refers to the state.
"Fueron llenados de tension" = 0 hits in Google
"Estuvieron llenos de tension" = more than 200 hits.
I don't want to get in an argument here, bur if you can find a single place where that is used, please let me know.
The answer is fueron because in the context of this sentence it is referring to a thing instead of a person. Estuvieron would be referring to a person or persons.
