Lesson 1.3 · Unit 1 · Communication: presentational
Scene, interruption, chain
A good past narrative has a shape. It opens with a scene in the imperfect, something interrupts it, a chain of events follows in the preterite, and a closing sentence ends the story. The two tenses are not rivals. They work together in the same paragraph, and a reader can tell what you mean by how you alternate them. This lesson reviews that shape and the words that mark each part.
- Open with the scene. Era una noche fría. Hacía viento. Marta estaba sola y leía. Each verb is imperfect.
- Interrupt with the event. De repente oyó un ruido. Words that announce a break: de repente, un día, una noche, entonces, súbitamente.
- Chain the events. Se levantó, abrió la puerta y vio un gato. Each preterite pushes the story forward.
- Show two things happening together. Mientras ella leía, el gato dormía. Mientras links two imperfects.
- Use sequence words. primero, luego, después, más tarde, finalmente, por fin, al final.
- Add reasons with porque and como. No abrió la puerta porque tenía miedo. The reason is usually a state, so it is imperfect.
- Close the story. Al final, todos estaban tranquilos. Sonrió y volvió a la cama. A closing event is preterite and a closing picture is imperfect.
- Reread for the frame. For every verb ask: did it happen (preterite), or was it the scene (imperfect)? Then check the ending and the accent.
Where students lose marks: Writing the whole story in the preterite, which turns it into a list, writing the whole story in the imperfect, in which nothing happens, and dropping the accent from oyó, sonrió and volvió. Alternate scene and event on purpose.
The problem. Tell this story in six sentences: It was a cold night. Marta was alone in the house and was reading. Suddenly she heard a noise. She got up, opened the door and saw a cat. She smiled and gave it milk. Then she went back to bed.
Step one: the scene. Era and estaba set the night and the place, and leía shows what she was doing: Era una noche fría. Marta estaba sola en la casa y leía.
Step two: the interruption. De repente announces the break, and oír has the spelling change oyó: De repente oyó un ruido.
Step three: the chain. Three events, one after another, each with its accent: Se levantó, abrió la puerta y vio un gato.
Step four: the reaction. Two more events, and dar is irregular in the preterite: Sonrió y le dio leche.
Step five: the ending. Luego closes the sequence: Luego volvió a la cama.
Step six: the connectors. The story uses de repente for the break and luego for the close, and could add mientras for a second background action.
Step seven: the accents. The stressed endings are written in oyó, levantó, abrió, sonrió, volvió, and vio and dio have none.
Step eight: check. The first two sentences are scene, the middle three are events, the last is the close, and the verbs alternate by frame.
Problems 1 to 5 are routine. Problems 6 to 10 are multi-step or ask for reasoning.
- Write the preterite él form of oír, abrir and volver.
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Oír has the y spelling change. oyó, abrió, volvió
- Write the imperfect of estar, leer and hacer for ella.
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All three are regular imperfects. estaba, leía, hacía
- Complete: Era tarde y yo ___ (leer) cuando ___ (sonar) el teléfono.
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The reading is in progress, and the ringing is the interruption. leía, sonó
- Complete: Mientras mi madre ___ (cocinar), mi padre ___ (poner) la mesa.
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Mientras links two actions in progress. cocinaba, ponía
- Say "Suddenly the door opened and a man came in."
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Two events with de repente, and entrar is regular. De repente la puerta se abrió y un hombre entró.
- Say "She did not open the door because she was afraid."
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The reason is a state, so it is imperfect. No abrió la puerta porque tenía miedo.
- Put the verbs in the correct tense: Una mañana yo (despertarse) tarde. (Hacer) sol y mi hermano ya (estar) en la cocina. Yo (levantarse) y (desayunar).
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The first and last verbs are events, and the two in the middle are scene. Una mañana yo me desperté tarde. Hacía sol y mi hermano ya estaba en la cocina. Yo me levanté y desayuné.
- Find and fix the errors: Era una noche oscura y hubo mucho viento. De repente oí un ruido. Tenía miedo y cerré la puerta.
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Weather is scene, and the fear is a state that continues. Cerré is correct because closing the door is an event. Era una noche oscura y había mucho viento. De repente oí un ruido. Tenía miedo y cerré la puerta.
- Explain why a story told only in the preterite sounds like a list.
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The preterite reports events and never describes. Without the imperfect there is no scene, no reasons and no background, so the reader sees what happened but not what it was like. The scene needs the imperfect.
- Write a six-sentence story about a surprise, with a scene, an interruption, a chain of events and a close.
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One correct answer: Era sábado y yo estaba solo en casa. Hacía calor y miraba la televisión. De repente alguien tocó la puerta. Abrí y vi a mis abuelos con un pastel. Me abrazaron y entraron. Comimos juntos y fue un día muy feliz. Era sábado y yo estaba solo en casa. Hacía calor y miraba la televisión. De repente alguien tocó la puerta. Abrí y vi a mis abuelos con un pastel. Me abrazaron y entraron. Comimos juntos y fue un día muy feliz.