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Cuando hacía frío, preparábamos suficiente leña para el fuego.

Cuando hacía frío, preparábamos suficiente leña para el fuego.
When it was cold, we prepared enough firewood for the fire.
From Lesson 111:Past habits with when (cuando)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Cuando hacía frío, preparábamos suficiente leña para el fuego.

Why are both verbs in this sentence in the imperfect tense (hacía and preparábamos)?
Because this sentence describes a repeated past habit, which is exactly what the imperfect tense is used for. The word cuando (when) sets up the recurring condition (whenever it was cold), and preparábamos tells us what we repeatedly did in response (we used to prepare).
Why is it hacía frío instead of estaba frío?
In Spanish, you use the verb hacer (to do/make) for most weather expressions. To say 'it is cold,' you say hace frío (literally 'it makes cold'). To say 'it was cold' as an ongoing or repeated condition in the past, you use the imperfect tense form: hacía frío.
Why does suficiente come before leña instead of after it?
Most adjectives in Spanish go after the noun, but adjectives that express quantity or amount (like enough, much, little, some) almost always go before the noun they describe. Since suficiente means 'enough,' it goes right before leña (firewood).
Why do we use para instead of por in para el fuego?
We use para here because it shows the purpose or final destination of the firewood. The wood is intended for the fire. Whenever you are talking about what something is used for or where it is meant to go, para is the right choice.

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