Past action inside a completed time frameFor the sentence "mientras vosotros ________ el postre, yo hice el café", why is "estuvisteis comiendo" incorrect? The lesson seems to suggest that it should be correct.
For example, the lesson says this: When the ongoing past action is inside
a completed timeframe in the past. See how all examples
above contain a time phrase: "toda la noche", "de 6 a 7 de la
tarde", "el sábado pasado". In the quiz question, the completed timeframe is "while you were having dessert". Isn't that a similar time frame to "toda la noche"?
Also, the lesson says this: We don't know when the "eating" started, but the end is expressed with "hasta que acabamos con toda la comida". This may sound as if that is an interrupting action and may
lead you to wrongly think you need to use El Imperfecto Progresivo [estaba+present participle]. Likewise, in the quiz question, we know that "having dessert" has a beginning and an end, although we don't know exactly when.
Gracias!
Too often I have found the “hints” to be problematic in that I am thrown off by them. For example, in this lesson one hint was “Lit: "At 2 I have lunch with dehydrated foods" lunch = almuerzo, foods = alimentos." Assuming “Lit” means “literally”, the literal translation should have been “A las dos tengo almuerzo con alimentos deshidratados” NOT “tomo” or “como”. I do know that "tomar" is used when referring to food, but the so-called "hint" threw me off on this one!
Pat Ecuamiga
So, I'm trying to solidify this idea in my head by contrasting it with the imperfecto de subjuntivo. Is the subordinate clause not in the subjunctive here because the speaker (presumably the 3rd party and the person repeating the statement) take for granted the factual of the idea (ie in the sentence "el hombre de tiempo dijo que llovería hoy" that the idea that it is going to rain is considered a fact, and not a supposition.
Hola,
I understand the sentence above but I am new to using a pronoun with the infinitive of the verb. Is there a lesson that covers this topic? For example, how would you say 'I have something to tell them/you (plural)/him'?
Gracias.
Saludos,
Colin
My amiga de Oaxaca pointed out that in Spain they tend to use "lo" in this expression but in Mexico it's "la." Just sayin'!
For the sentence "mientras vosotros ________ el postre, yo hice el café", why is "estuvisteis comiendo" incorrect? The lesson seems to suggest that it should be correct.
For example, the lesson says this: When the ongoing past action is inside a completed timeframe in the past. See how all examples above contain a time phrase: "toda la noche", "de 6 a 7 de la tarde", "el sábado pasado". In the quiz question, the completed timeframe is "while you were having dessert". Isn't that a similar time frame to "toda la noche"?
Also, the lesson says this: We don't know when the "eating" started, but the end is expressed with "hasta que acabamos con toda la comida". This may sound as if that is an interrupting action and may lead you to wrongly think you need to use El Imperfecto Progresivo [estaba+present participle]. Likewise, in the quiz question, we know that "having dessert" has a beginning and an end, although we don't know exactly when.
Gracias!
Is querría actually wrong on this case to say "I would like to see the paintings"?
How is recién different from ya? Are they interchangeable?
Hi there! One of the quizzes asks for the correct phrase in the following sentence:
Las aceitunas ________ en septiembre. (The olives must be harvested in September.)
Would it not be possible to use "han de recolectar" here instead of "deben ser recolectadas"?
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