When telling a story in the past, Spanish uses two tenses to paint the picture: the imperfect and the preterite. Think of the imperfect as setting the stage, while the preterite is the main event that suddenly happens.
Background vs. Interruption
To show how a sudden event interrupts an ongoing background action, use both tenses in the same sentence:
- Imperfect: The ongoing background action (what you were doing).
- Preterite: The completed, sudden action that interrupts (what happened).
These sentences often use the word cuando (when) to introduce the interruption.
| We were camping when this wolf scared us. | Acampábamos cuando este lobo nos asustó. |
| I was reading a book when this spider scared me. | Leía un libro cuando esta araña me asustó. |
Adding emphasis with "de repente"
To make a story more dramatic, use the phrase de repente.
| suddenly | de repente |
| I was walking through the forest when suddenly a bear appeared. | Yo caminaba por el bosque cuando de repente apareció un oso. |
| I was going to the river when suddenly a wolf came. | Iba al río cuando de repente vino un lobo. |
Using "mientras"
You can also use mientras (while) to introduce the ongoing background action in the imperfect tense, followed by the interrupting action in the preterite.
| While the wolf was drinking water, the bear scared it. | Mientras el lobo bebía agua, el oso lo asustó. |
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