This sentence refers to a completed action that took place yesterday, so the preterite tense is appropriate. “Fui” is the first person singular preterite of “ir.” The imperfect and pluperfect tenses do not convey the single, completed event. SpanishDict.
Cuando era niña, yo ____ con mis hermanos.
jugaba
jugué
jugaré
juego
This sentence describes a habitual action in childhood, which requires the imperfect tense. “Jugaba” indicates repeated or ongoing action. The preterite “jugué” implies a single completed event. SpanishDict.
El martes pasado, Marta ____ una carta a su abuela.
escribió
escribía
escribe
escribirá
Referring to a specific completed action “last Tuesday,” the preterite tense is correct. “Escribió” is the third person singular preterite of “escribir.” The imperfect “escribía” suggests an ongoing or habitual action. SpanishDict.
Siempre ____ de vacaciones a la playa.
íbamos
fuimos
iremos
vamos
“Siempre” indicates a repeated or habitual action, so the imperfect tense is used. “Íbamos” is the first person plural imperfect of “ir.” The preterite “fuimos” would imply a single trip, not a habitual pattern. SpanishDict.
Ayer tú me ____ un regalo.
diste
dabas
das
darás
This is a specific completed action that happened yesterday, so the preterite “diste” is used. The imperfect “dabas” would suggest an ongoing or habitual giving. SpanishDict.
____ mucho frío cuando salimos.
hacía
hizo
hará
hace
Weather descriptions and background states in the past use the imperfect tense. “Hacía” conveys the ongoing condition of being cold. “Hizo” would present the weather as an isolated, completed event. SpanishDict.
Ellos ____ en la fiesta anoche.
bailaron
bailaban
bailarán
bailan
This refers to a specific, completed action that took place last night, so the preterite “bailaron” is correct. The imperfect “bailaban” would imply an ongoing or habitual action without indicating it ended. SpanishDict.
De niño, mi abuelo ____ historias interesantes.
contaba
contó
cuenta
contará
The phrase “De niño” plus a habitual action calls for the imperfect. “Contaba” indicates that he used to tell interesting stories regularly. The preterite “contó” would refer to a single telling. SpanishDict.
Selecciona la opción que completa: Mientras ella ____ la cena, su madre ____ la mesa.
cocinaba / ponía
cocinó / puso
cocinará / pondrá
cocina / pone
Two simultaneous, ongoing actions in the past use the imperfect tense. Both “cocinaba” and “ponía” are imperfect forms describing background actions happening at the same time. SpanishDict.
El verano pasado, tú ____ en un restaurante en Ibiza.
trabajaste
trabajabas
trabajarás
trabajas
The phrase “el verano pasado” refers to a specific timeframe, so the preterite “trabajaste” is required. The imperfect “trabajabas” would suggest a habitual or ongoing action without a defined endpoint. SpanishDict.
Cada día, ellos ____ a la escuela a las ocho.
iban
fueron
irán
van
“Cada día” indicates a repeated, habitual action, so the imperfect “iban” is used. The preterite “fueron” would incorrectly present the action as a single event. SpanishDict.
Ayer a las ocho, nosotros ____ la película.
empezamos
empezábamos
empezaremos
empecemos
Referring to a specific moment in the past (“ayer a las ocho”), you use the preterite “empezamos.” The imperfect “empezábamos” would describe an ongoing action without marking its beginning as a single event. SpanishDict.
No ____ mentiras cuando éramos niños.
decíamos
dijimos
decimos
deciríamos
The sentence describes a habitual negative action in childhood, so the imperfect “decíamos” is correct. The preterite “dijimos” would imply a single event of telling a lie. SpanishDict.
Cuando sonó el teléfono, yo ____ mi libro favorito.
leía
leí
leeré
leo
An ongoing action in the past that was interrupted uses the imperfect tense. “Leía” indicates you were reading when the phone rang. The preterite “leí” would present reading as a completed action, which doesn’t fit the interruption. SpanishDict.
Anoche, por fin, nosotros ____ resolver el problema.
pudimos
podíamos
podremos
podemos
A completed achievement or action at a specific time in the past (“anoche, por fin”) uses the preterite “pudimos.” The imperfect “podíamos” would suggest a general ability rather than a successful event. SpanishDict.
Siempre ____ la verdad a mis padres.
decía
dije
diré
digo
Describing a habitual past action (“siempre”) requires the imperfect tense. “Decía” means you used to tell the truth regularly. The preterite “dije” would indicate a single instance. SpanishDict.
Quise llamarte, pero no ____ tu número de teléfono.
sabía
supe
sabíamos
sabrá
“Quise” in the preterite indicates an attempt, and the state of not knowing a number uses the imperfect “sabía” to describe past background knowledge. “Supe” would mean 'I found out,' which changes the meaning. SpanishDict.
Siempre ____ nervioso cuando hablaba en público, pero ayer ____ muy tranquilo.
estaba / estuve
estuve / estaba
era / fui
fui / era
A habitual emotional state uses the imperfect (“estaba nervioso”), while describing a one-time state from yesterday uses the preterite (“estuve muy tranquilo”). SpanishDict.
¿Por qué no ____ la luz cuando saliste?
apagaste
apagabas
apagas
apagarás
The question refers to a specific completed action in the past—turning off the light—so the preterite “apagaste” is correct. The imperfect “apagabas” would imply an ongoing or habitual action. SpanishDict.
María no llegó a la fiesta porque ____ enferma.
estaba
estuvo
será
sea
A background reason or state in the past uses the imperfect. “Estaba enferma” explains a past condition. “Estuvo” would suggest a completed illness event rather than a continuing state. SpanishDict.
Al llegar a la estación, el tren ya ____.
salió
salía
sale
saldrá
“Ya salió” is the preterite used to indicate the train had already departed at the moment of arrival. The imperfect “salía” would describe an ongoing departure, which doesn’t match the context. SpanishDict.
Ella me ____ un secreto cuando éramos niños.
contó
contaba
cuenta
contaría
Telling a secret is presented as a single, completed event in childhood, so the preterite “contó” is correct. The imperfect “contaba” would imply repeated tellings. SpanishDict.
Era la una de la tarde cuando ____ la fiesta.
comenzó
comenzaba
comienza
comenzará
A specific event marking the start of the party at a known time uses the preterite “comenzó.” The imperfect “comenzaba” would describe the ongoing process of starting but not mark its completion. SpanishDict.
Cuando por fin te ____, no ____ muy contento.
vi / estaba
vi / estuve
veía / estuve
veía / estaba
The one-time action of seeing you uses the preterite (“vi”). Describing your emotional state afterward uses the imperfect (“estaba”). Mixing these tenses correctly distinguishes completed events from background states. SpanishDict.
In the sentence 'No quise ir al hospital,' the preterite form 'quise' best translates as:
I didn't want to go
I refused to go
I was not wanting to go
I hadn't wanted to go
In the preterite, “quise” conveys refusal rather than mere desire. The imperfect form “quería” would mean “I didn’t want to go” without the nuance of refusing. This distinction is a classic use of the preterite for querer. SpanishDict.
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