Past Tenses - AP Spanish Language and Culture

Card 0 of 43

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Cuando era joven, yo __________ cada día.

Answer

The correct answer is "caminaba." Since the action happened repeatedly in the past, the tense that is needed is the imperfect. The other tenses cannot work, since they do not express the continuous action of the imperfect.

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Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Nosotros __________ allí por ocho años.

Answer

The correct answer is vivimos. Even though the example given "por ocho años" was an action that occurred over a long period of time, since a definitive beginning and ending period is given in the sentence, the only viable verb is "vivimos," as all of the other verbs are in the imperfect tense.

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Question

Fill in the blank with the correct response.

Ellos _________ en la calle cuando vieron a Claudia.

Answer

In the first part of the sentence, the action that was interrupted before they saw Claudia was an action in progress in the past; therefore the imperfect tense must be used.

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Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Cuando llegaron ayer, tú ya __________.

Answer

The first part of the sentence, "when they arrived yesterday," is in the preterite; the next clause that has the word "ya," "already," in it, implies the next action had occurred before the first one; therefore we need the past perfect tense, which in the 2nd person singular would be, habías comido.

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Question

Which is the correct verb form?

Estaba andando en el parque cuando, de repente, un ciervo me __________.

Answer

This sentence expresses the completed action of the deer surprising me in the park, thus the preterite tense is the only correct response.

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Question

Which verb form is correct in context?

Estaba andando en la calle cuando, de repente, un ladrón __________ robarme.

Answer

An interrupted action sequence requires the imperfect tense for the interrupted action and the preterite tense for the interrupting action, in this case, "intentó." The other verbs either do not agree in tense or in number with "un ladrón."

English translation: "I was walking in the street when, all of a sudden, a thief tried to rob me."

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Question

Which verb form properly completes the sentence?

__________ cerca de la orilla del rio cuando, de repente, vi un pez.

Answer

The first verb conveys an action that is interrupted, so it needs to be in the imperfect tense. Only "Andaba" is the first person imperfect form of "andar" (to walk).

English translation: "I was walking near the bank of the river when, all of a sudden, I saw a fish."

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which verb form is correct in context?

Estaba andando en la calle cuando, de repente, un ladrón __________ robarme.

Answer

An interrupted action sequence requires the imperfect tense for the interrupted action and the preterite tense for the interrupting action, in this case, "intentó." The other verbs either do not agree in tense or in number with "un ladrón."

English translation: "I was walking in the street when, all of a sudden, a thief tried to rob me."

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which verb form properly completes the sentence?

__________ cerca de la orilla del rio cuando, de repente, vi un pez.

Answer

The first verb conveys an action that is interrupted, so it needs to be in the imperfect tense. Only "Andaba" is the first person imperfect form of "andar" (to walk).

English translation: "I was walking near the bank of the river when, all of a sudden, I saw a fish."

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct response.

Ellos _________ en la calle cuando vieron a Claudia.

Answer

In the first part of the sentence, the action that was interrupted before they saw Claudia was an action in progress in the past; therefore the imperfect tense must be used.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Cuando llegaron ayer, tú ya __________.

Answer

The first part of the sentence, "when they arrived yesterday," is in the preterite; the next clause that has the word "ya," "already," in it, implies the next action had occurred before the first one; therefore we need the past perfect tense, which in the 2nd person singular would be, habías comido.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which is the correct verb form?

Estaba andando en el parque cuando, de repente, un ciervo me __________.

Answer

This sentence expresses the completed action of the deer surprising me in the park, thus the preterite tense is the only correct response.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct response.

Ellos _________ en la calle cuando vieron a Claudia.

Answer

In the first part of the sentence, the action that was interrupted before they saw Claudia was an action in progress in the past; therefore the imperfect tense must be used.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Cuando llegaron ayer, tú ya __________.

Answer

The first part of the sentence, "when they arrived yesterday," is in the preterite; the next clause that has the word "ya," "already," in it, implies the next action had occurred before the first one; therefore we need the past perfect tense, which in the 2nd person singular would be, habías comido.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which is the correct verb form?

Estaba andando en el parque cuando, de repente, un ciervo me __________.

Answer

This sentence expresses the completed action of the deer surprising me in the park, thus the preterite tense is the only correct response.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which verb form is correct in context?

Estaba andando en la calle cuando, de repente, un ladrón __________ robarme.

Answer

An interrupted action sequence requires the imperfect tense for the interrupted action and the preterite tense for the interrupting action, in this case, "intentó." The other verbs either do not agree in tense or in number with "un ladrón."

English translation: "I was walking in the street when, all of a sudden, a thief tried to rob me."

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Which verb form properly completes the sentence?

__________ cerca de la orilla del rio cuando, de repente, vi un pez.

Answer

The first verb conveys an action that is interrupted, so it needs to be in the imperfect tense. Only "Andaba" is the first person imperfect form of "andar" (to walk).

English translation: "I was walking near the bank of the river when, all of a sudden, I saw a fish."

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Cuando era joven, yo __________ cada día.

Answer

The correct answer is "caminaba." Since the action happened repeatedly in the past, the tense that is needed is the imperfect. The other tenses cannot work, since they do not express the continuous action of the imperfect.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

Nosotros __________ allí por ocho años.

Answer

The correct answer is vivimos. Even though the example given "por ocho años" was an action that occurred over a long period of time, since a definitive beginning and ending period is given in the sentence, the only viable verb is "vivimos," as all of the other verbs are in the imperfect tense.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

Question

Fill in the blank with the correct response.

Ellos _________ en la calle cuando vieron a Claudia.

Answer

In the first part of the sentence, the action that was interrupted before they saw Claudia was an action in progress in the past; therefore the imperfect tense must be used.

Compare your answer with the correct one above

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