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Verbs-Pret/Imp quiz

Preterite vs. imperfect tense quiz

QuestionAnswerTranslationReason for using the tense
Yo (nacía/nací) en Madrid el año mil novecientos ochenta y cuatro. Preterite: nací I was born in Madrid in nineteen eighty-four. The preterite is used for actions that took place at a determined moment in the past. Certain verbs, such as nacer (to be born), are most commonly seen in the preterite.
Ella todavía (preparaba/preparó) la centa cuando los invitados llegaron. Imperfect: preparaba She was still making dinner when the guests arrived. Use the imperfect tense to describe past actions in progress that were interrupted by another action. Interrupting actions, on the other hand, should be in the preterite, as is llegaron in this example.
(Eran/Fueron) las cuatro de la tarde y ya se oscurecía. Imperfect: Eran It was four in the afternoon, and it was already getting dark. Past dates and times in Spanish are described with the imperfect tense.
David estaba en la ducha cuando su esposa (salía/salío). Preterite: salío David was in the shower when his wife left the house to go to work. The verb salir (to leave) is conjugated in the preterite in this sentence because it interrupts an action in progress. The action in progress, estaba (was), is in the imperfect.
El chico (era/fue) muy alto. (Tenía/Tuvo) el pelo negro y los oos verdes. Imperfect: era, Tenía The boy was very tall. He had black hair and green eyes. Both verbs in this sentence are in the imperfect tense, which is used to describe past conditions and characteristics.
Los hermanos (visitaban/visitaron) a sus abuelos en New Hampshire todos los veranos. Imperfect: visitaban The brothers used to visit their grandparents in New Hampshire every summer. The imperfect visitaban is used here because habitual past actions are described with the imperfect.
La gimnasta rumana Nadia Comaneci (obtenía/obtuvo) siete veces una calificacción perfecta durante su carrera. Preterite: obtuvo Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci earned a perfect score seven times during her career. Actions that are completed a specific number of times the past are conveyed with the preterite.
Los gemelos empezaron la escuela cuando (tenían/tuvieron) tres años. Imperfect: tenían The twins started school when they were three years old. When talking about age in the past, choose the imperfect tense.
(Estuvimos/Estábamos) muy emocionados porque nuestra tía nos venía a visitar. Imperfect: Estábamos We were very excited because our aunt was coming to visit us. When speaking about past emotional states, the imperfect is most often employed. An exception to this rule might be when one suddenly feels an emotion in a particular moment.
(Nos levantábamos/Nos levantamos) por la mañana. Preterite: Nos levantamos. We got up in the morning. The preterite tense in Spanish should be used to relay a completed action in the past
Created by: Cjsmuz
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