Intermedio altoUnidad 1 · Narrative Tenses · Lección 1⏱ 12 min
Narrative Tenses, Part 1 of 2
Use the past simple, past continuous and past perfect as one system: background, main events and earlier events, and stop translating the Spanish imperfect with -ing.
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One story, three layers
A good story in English has three layers. The past simple moves the story forward: "I opened the door". The past continuous paints the background, what was in progress at that moment: "It was raining".
It was raining when I got home.
Llovía cuando llegué a casa.
Someone had left the window open.
Alguien había dejado la ventana abierta.
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