Estaba vs. estuve

Alejandro S.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Estaba vs. estuve

I would have thought that A had similar structure to B, as in action#1 was interrupted by action#2:

A: Te ________ hasta que me aburrí y me fui.

I was waiting for you until I got bored and left

B: Ella estaba lavándose el pelo cuando él llegó.

She was washing her hair when he arrived.

But the answer to A was “estuve esperando” not “estaba esperando.”

Does it mean that in B the woman didn’t stop washing her hair even the man arrived, but in A the waiting totally completed?

This question relates to:Spanish lesson "The Spanish imperfect progressive vs the Spanish preterite progressive (was +ing)"

Asked 3 years ago

Like2Answer1

Marsha C.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

There is no interruption in sentence A. The person waited, then stopped waiting and then left. In this sentence one action happened after another hence the use of the indefinido.

Like13 years ago

Alejandro S. asked:

Estaba vs. estuve

I would have thought that A had similar structure to B, as in action#1 was interrupted by action#2:

A: Te ________ hasta que me aburrí y me fui.

I was waiting for you until I got bored and left

B: Ella estaba lavándose el pelo cuando él llegó.

She was washing her hair when he arrived.

But the answer to A was “estuve esperando” not “estaba esperando.”

Does it mean that in B the woman didn’t stop washing her hair even the man arrived, but in A the waiting totally completed?

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