In order to help her students decide whether to use the imperfect or preterite form of a verb, Angela shows them this decision map.
“So, if I talk about what I used to do as a kid, that’s a general situation, … so you use the imperfect. However, if it’s a specific situation, … then I decide if it’s a … state or an … action. If it’s a state, … then typically it will use ser, estar o poder, and it would be in the imperfect. … However, if it’s an action, … then it would be … finished or … continuous. … If it’s a continuous action, … then I use the imperfecto; if it’s a completed action, then I use the preterite.”
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