Spanish language Q&A Forum

I'm having a tough time knowing when to use the simple past and when to use the imperfect. Could someone walk me through the sentence below and help me understand why we use the different tenses?

I am having some difficulties with this sentence: Los empleados de la tienda se quedaron perplejos.

Why is quedarse used here and not quedar? I went back to the lesson that deals with the differences and therein both are used with an adjective or participle to express the result of an action (=quedar) or change (=quedarse). For quedar + adjective, it is also written that the meaning is rather "to end up", and I feel like it fits well in the sentence above: they ended up perplexed due to what Beru did. 

Could both be correct in this context?

Thanks!

I want to make sure I understand the lesson correctly--so continuar is never used with an infinitive, as it is in English? It is only correct to use it with a gerund?

Hi,

I'm learning Spanish to keep up with my family (mixed origins from spain, latin america, south america, etc.) and I've noticed that I don't quite understand when the people I'm talking to prefer that I use formal or informal.

Are there any general guidelines or standards as for when one is more appropriate? Like if it's someone who is your senior or based on how close you are to each other? Or is this maybe not as big a deal these days as it might have been in the past?

Thanks, Dawn.

The suggested translation of 'to go red on the face' sounds odd. In English, we would say 'to go red in the face' or, more colloquially, 'to get red-faced'

"Algunas compradoras se gastan mucho dinero en las rebajas." means...

Why not "Algunas compradoras gastan mucho dinero..." There is no passive voice here; "Some shoppers" is the subject of this sentence.

This problem arises often in my readings of Spanish, and I would love to understand it. Is this a passive, reflexive, or accidental use of "se"?

Why don’t buitres and águilas reales have definite articles? Is it because they are examples? It’s 50/50 for me with definite articles, I can’t see any pattern and the rules seem to change even after looking at the lessons!

¿Qué es la diferencia entre las palabras rincón y esquina?

Can we get an option to remove hints from the tests?

For example with the following hint: 

HINT: Conjugate “ser” in El Pretérito Imperfecto

There is really no point to the question, because I can easily conjugate the verb if you tell me this...the difficulty is in knowing when to use the imperfect vs the preterite.

I would also like an option to get rid of the multiple choice answers for the one or two word answers. Sometimes you can eliminate three options just based on context without actually understand the grammar that is supposedly being tested.

Right now it is too easy to get the right answer when you don't really know the topic very well.