Dos Acciones en una Oración Narrating a sequence of events

Often a sentence may have 2 or more verbs in the past Often a sentence may have 2 or more verbs in the past. The verbs can be in the same tense. Here are some examples in English: I ate breakfast and walked to school this morning. Preterite—completed actions! This happened this morning and now it’s over! It began and ended this morning. María arrived yesterday, and Paco saw her. Preterite!—completed actions! She came yesterday and Paco saw her yesterday. Nothing is being repeated.

Often a sentence might have 2 or more verbs in the past Often a sentence might have 2 or more verbs in the past. These 2 verbs can be in the same tense. Here are some examples in English: I was studying while you were talking. Imperfect!—these are ongoing actions in the past. They are not completed actions. We were playing while she was cooking. Imperfect!—the imperfect can describe an action like was/were + a verb in the –ing format.

Yo comí el desayuno y caminé a la escuela esta mañana. I ate breakfast and walked to school this morning. Yo comí el desayuno y caminé a la escuela esta mañana. María arrived yesterday, and Paco saw her. María llegó ayer y Paco la vio.

I was studying while you were talking. Yo estudiaba mientras tú hablabas. We were playing while she was cooking. Nosotros jugábamos mientras ella cocinaba.

Differences: He was eating  Él comía They were running  Preterito  completed actions in the past  specific beginning and ending point Imperfecto ”used to” tense—describing what one “used to” do or “used to” be like describes “A PAW TALE” in the past describes an ongoing action (not completed): was/were + a verb in the –ing form He was eating  Él comía They were running  Ellos corrían

In a sentence, one of the verbs can express a completed action, while another can describe an ongoing action in the past. I was studying when Julio entered. Which part describes an ongoing action in the past? was studying--imperfecto (Yo estudiaba) _____________________________________________________________ Which part expresses a completed action? entered— pretérito (Julio entró) Yo estudiaba cuando Julio entró.

My father was reading when all of a sudden the phone rang. Which part describes an ongoing action in the past? was reading Mi padre leía ____________________________________________________________ Which part expresses a completed action? rang sonó Mi padre leía cuando de repente, el teléfono sonó.

The students were walking to class, when all of a sudden, the bell rang. Which part describes an ongoing action in the past? were walking caminaban ____________________________________________________________ Which part expresses a completed action? rang sonó Los estudiantes caminaban a la clase, cuando de pronto, la campana sonó.

Yo miraba la televisión cuando la campana sonó. Práctica 1. I was watching TV when the doorbell rang. 2. We were eating dinner while he was working outside. 3. I was cleaning when you broke your finger. Yo miraba la televisión cuando la campana sonó. Comíamos la cena mientras él trabajaba afuera. Yo limpiaba cuando tú te rompiste el dedo.

Tú aprendías cuando el estudiante entró. 4. I was listening to music while the teacher was talking.  5. You were learning when the student entered. 6. My brother called while I was buying a ring. Yo escuchaba la musica mientras la profesora hablaba. Tú aprendías cuando el estudiante entró. Mi hermano llamó mientras yo compraba un anillo.

7. It was cold and snowing at 4pm yesterday. 8. When Lola was five years old she lived in Guatemala. 9. They paid the bill and left the restaurant. Hacía frio y nevaba a las cuatro de la tarde ayer. Cuando Lola tenía cinco años, ella vivía en Guatemala. Ellos pagaron la cuenta y salieron del restaurante.