Preterite vs imperfect

BarbaraC1Kwiziq community member

Preterite vs imperfect

"I couldn't find her so I left" - I put encontre (with an accent) because it was a completed action. I thought that encontraba would be the past continuous. Am I misunderstanding something?

This question relates to:Spanish lesson "Verbs ver, oír, escuchar, oler, sentir, encontrar in the imperfect"

Asked 3 months ago

Like1Answer1

InmaKwiziq team member

Hola Barbara

Your answer using the main verb encontrar in the preterite: encontré is grammatically correct, but the meaning and the nuance that we are referring to in the hint "expressing couldn't" is not reflected in the preterite. The lesson specifies that nuance with the imperfect tense, not other past tenses.

I hope it clarified it.

Saludos cordiales

Inma

Like13 months ago

Barbara asked:View original

Preterite vs imperfect

"I couldn't find her so I left" - I put encontre (with an accent) because it was a completed action. I thought that encontraba would be the past continuous. Am I misunderstanding something?

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