A. Choose between the preterite or the imperfect.
1. We wanted to buy the car.
QuisimosQueríamos comprar el auto.
2. The man refused to speak.
El hombre no quisono quería hablar.
3. They found out the news yesterday.
SupieronSabían las noticias ayer.
4. The boy knew she was coming.
El chico suposabía que ella venía.
5. We succeeded in lifting the piano.
PudimosPodíamos levantar el piano.
6. I met Juan five years ago.
Hace cinco años que conocíconocía a Juan.
7. I received a letter from my sister.
TuveTenía una carta de mi hermana.
8. Carmen used to have a house in Acapulco.
Carmen tuvotenía una casa en Acapulco.
9. Arturo tried to leave.
Arturo quisoquería salir.
10. Maria tried to eat.
María quisoquería comer.
11. The girls were able to go to the party.
Las chicas pudieronpodían ir a la fiesta.
12. The brothers received a message from their father.
Los hermanos tuvierontenían un mensaje de su padre.
13. The drunk refused to leave.
El borracho no quisono quería salir.
14. I knew him well.
Le ConocíConocía bien.
15. Jorge met a charming young lady.
Jorge conocióconocía a una simpática señorita.
16. At that time we knew the city very well.
En aquella época conocimosconocíamos muy bien la ciudad.
17. Alberto succeeded in reading the whole book.
Alberto pudopodía leer el libro entero.
18. I wasn't able to remember his name.
No pudepodía recordar su nombre.
19. Last night Juan found out the truth.
Anoche Juan suposabía la verdad.
20. The young ladies did not want to leave.
Las señoritas no quisieronno querían salir.
ANswers:
1. Queríamos comprar el auto.
2. El hombre no quiso hablar.
3. Supieron las noticias ayer.
4. El chico sabía que ella venía.
5. Pudimos levantar el piano.
6. Hace cinco años que conocí a Juan.
7. Tuve una carta de mi hermana.
8. Carmen tenía una casa en Acapulco.
9. Arturo quiso salir.
10. María quiso comer.
11. Las chicas pudieron ir a la fiesta.
12. Los hermanos tuvieron un mensaje de su padre.
13. El borracho no quiso salir.
14. Le conocía bien.
15. Jorge conoció a una simpática señorita.
16. En aquella época conocíamos muy bien la ciudad.
17. Alberto pudo leer el libro entero.
18. No pude recordar su nombre.
19. Anoche Juan supo la verdad.
20. Las señoritas no querían salir.
Excellent! From #14 I suspect you are studying castellano, because of the "leísmo."
I only take exception to #18. To me "no pude" is I didn't manage to know/recall or I didn't succeed in knowing/recalling his name. then "No podía" = I wasn't able to..."
Sra
To choose between the preterite or the imperfect tense, you need to consider the context and the specific meaning you want to convey.
The preterite tense is used to talk about completed actions or events that happened at a specific point in time. It is often used to describe a single action or a series of actions that occurred one after the other. In these sentences, the preterite tense is used for actions that were completed:
1. Quisimos comprar el auto. (We wanted to buy the car.)
2. El hombre no quiso hablar. (The man refused to speak.)
3. Supieron las noticias ayer. (They found out the news yesterday.)
4. El chico supo que ella venía. (The boy knew she was coming.)
5. Pudimos levantar el piano. (We succeeded in lifting the piano.)
On the other hand, the imperfect tense is used to talk about ongoing or habitual actions in the past, to describe background information, or to set the scene. It is often used to provide context, describe emotions, or talk about repeated actions. In these sentences, the imperfect tense is used for actions that were ongoing or habitual:
6. Hace cinco años que conocía a Juan. (I met Juan five years ago.)
7. Tenía una carta de mi hermana. (I received a letter from my sister.)
8. Carmen tenía una casa en Acapulco. (Carmen used to have a house in Acapulco.)
9. Arturo quería salir. (Arturo tried to leave.)
10. María quería comer. (Maria tried to eat.)
In some cases, both the preterite and the imperfect tense could be used, but there might be a difference in emphasis. For example, "Alberto pudo leer el libro entero" (Alberto succeeded in reading the whole book) emphasizes the completion of the action using the preterite tense, while "Alberto podía leer el libro entero" (Alberto was able to read the whole book) emphasizes the ability or possibility of the action using the imperfect tense.
It's important to note that these are just general guidelines, and the specific usage of the preterite or imperfect tense can vary depending on the context and the intended meaning.