For the following paragraph, decide if the verb for each blank should be in preterite or imperfect.
Cuando Marcos ___1___ (ser) joven, él ___2____ (querer) ser médico. La medicina le ____3_____ (interesar) mucho porque a él le ____4____ (gustar) ayudar a la gente. Él ___5___ (ir) frecuentamente a la biblioteca y él ___6___ (leer) los libros de la medicina. Un día, él ____7____ (ponerse) enfermo. Él ____8____ (descubrir) que las enfermedades le ___9____ (dar) miedo. Es más, él ____10____ (conocer) a un médico que ___11___ (estar) siempre enojado. Él ___12____ (decidir) que ya no ____13____ (querer) ser médico. Él ___14____ (preferir) ser abogado.
the verbs are in commas
I’m sorry to say that our Spanish tutor passed away a couple of years ago.
😞
To determine whether to use the preterite or imperfect tense for each blank in the paragraph, you need to consider the specific context and time frame being described.
1. "Cuando Marcos" indicates a specific moment in the past when Marcos was young. Therefore, we use the imperfect tense to describe a continuous action or state in the past. The verb for blank 1 should be "era" (preterite).
2. "Querer ser médico" describes Marcos' desire to become a doctor. This is a specific action in the past, so we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 2 should be "quiso" (preterite).
3. "La medicina le interesar mucho" indicates a general interest or ongoing state in the past. Therefore, we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 3 should be "interesaba" (imperfect).
4. "A él le gustar ayudar a la gente" signifies a general liking or ongoing state in the past. Thus, we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 4 should be "gustaba" (imperfect).
5. "Él ir frecuentemente a la biblioteca" describes the habitual action of going to the library, so we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 5 should be "iba" (imperfect).
6. "Él leer los libros de la medicina" describes the specific action of reading medical books. It happened at a particular time, so we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 6 should be "leyó" (preterite).
7. "Él ponerse enfermo" indicates a specific event in the past. Therefore, we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 7 should be "se puso" (preterite).
8. "Él descubrir que las enfermedades le dar miedo" describes the specific action of discovering that diseases scared him. It occurred at a particular time, so we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 8 should be "descubrió" (preterite).
9. "Las enfermedades le dar miedo" signifies a general state or ongoing action in the past, so we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 9 should be "daban" (imperfect).
10. "Él conocer a un médico" describes the specific action of meeting a doctor. It occurred at a particular time, so we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 10 should be "conoció" (preterite).
11. "Que estar siempre enojado" describes the enduring characteristic of the doctor, so we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 11 should be "estaba" (imperfect).
12. "Él decidir que ya no querer ser médico" represents the specific act of deciding not to become a doctor. It happened at a particular time, so we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 12 should be "decidió" (preterite).
13. "Ya no querer ser médico" indicates a change in Marcos' desire, which is a specific action in the past. Hence, we use the preterite tense. The verb for blank 13 should be "quiso" (preterite).
14. "Él preferir ser abogado" describes the general preference or ongoing state of wanting to be a lawyer. Thus, we use the imperfect tense. The verb for blank 14 should be "prefería" (imperfect).
Therefore, the verbs for each blank in the paragraph, using the correct tenses, are as follows:
1. era
2. quiso
3. interesaba
4. gustaba
5. iba
6. leyó
7. se puso
8. descubrió
9. daban
10. conoció
11. estaba
12. decidió
13. quiso
14. prefería