Does it matter if you use the Imperfect or Preterit tense in Spanish?

Question

Comi pollo. (I ate chicken)
Comia pollo. (I was eating chicken?)
Estuve comiendo pollo (I was eating chicken)

They all mean pretty much the same thing, right?

No, that is a complete sentence. You don't have to add "yo" to everything.

Comi = I ate
pollo= chicken

Comi already implies the "yo".

Answer 1

Great. You know more than the answerers.

Your examples are all correct.

and yes

you can even say estuve comiendo pollo.

Last night I was eating chicken until I fell asleep.

Anoche estuve comiendo pollo hasta que me dormí.

Well done! I just love it.

I will get thumbs down, of course, but don´t worry, it is included in my fun.

Answer 2

yes, it does matter a lot. You use the preterite or the imperfect depending on the context of what you're saying.

There are general rules which you can find in the Spanish language book your class uses, so I won't list them here.

Unfortunately for everyone who isn't a native speaker, the only way to really get a "feel" for how to use them is to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE by watching TV, listening to the radio, reading a newspaper, or whatever, in Spanish.

Also, you *never* use the preterite with the gerund... which means you never say estuve comiendo, it's always estaba comiendo.

Answer 3

It may be like French. There are different forms of the past not just for how actions happen in relation to other past actions, but also to indicate the "aspect": whether an action ended in the past or still continues up to the point where you spoke. So don't assume it's all the same.

Answer 4

When you say 'I ate chicken', you're talking about something you did and finished.
But when you say 'I was eating chicken', you're talking about something you were doing when another thing happened. For example: I was eating chicken when my mother arrived
The second and the third ones are pretty much the same thing

Hope it's clear enough. It's difficult for me to explain it and I'm spanish XD

Answer 5

Well if you know the answer do it yourself, showoff!

& you're wrong!