Question 1

Why do we use estaba temblando instead of just temblaba?

Accepted Answer

Estaba temblando is the past continuous tense, which combines the imperfect of estar (estaba) with the gerund (temblando). While temblaba can also mean "was shaking," using estaba temblando strongly emphasizes that the building's shaking was actively in progress at that exact moment.

Question 2

How do you form the "-ing" word temblando?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the verb temblar (to shake or tremble). To make the gerund (the Spanish equivalent of an "-ing" word) for an "-ar" verb, you drop the "-ar" ending and add -ando.

Question 3

Why does the sentence say tuvimos miedo instead of using a form of estar for "were scared"?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, many physical and emotional states use the verb tener (to have) instead of ser or estar (to be). So instead of saying "we were scared," you literally say "we had fear" (tuvimos miedo).

Question 4

Why use the preterite tuvimos instead of the imperfect teníamos?

Accepted Answer

We use the preterite tense tuvimos here to show a sudden reaction or a specific event: we got scared because the shaking happened. If the speaker had used the imperfect tense (teníamos miedo), it would mean they were already in an ongoing state of fear as a background detail.

Tuvimos miedo porque el edificio estaba temblando mucho.

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