Question 1

Why use the imperfect acababa de instead of the preterite acabé de here?

Accepted Answer

The phrase acabar de plus an infinitive means to have just done something. When you use it in the imperfect tense, like acababa de contestar, it translates to "I had just answered." It sets the background scene in the past. The preterite (acabé de) is rarely used this way; it would sound more like "I finished answering."

Question 2

Why switch to the preterite tuve que right after using the imperfect acababa de?

Accepted Answer

This sentence perfectly shows how the imperfect and preterite work together. Acababa de contestar (I had just answered) sets the background context. Tuve que colgar (I had to hang up) is the sudden, completed event that happened within that background.

Question 3

Why use por instead of porque to say "because of"?

Accepted Answer

To say "because of" followed by a noun (like el wifi pésimo), you must use por. If you wanted to use porque (because), you would need to follow it with a conjugated verb, like porque el wifi era pésimo (because the Wi-Fi was awful).

Question 4

Is pésimo just another word for malo?

Accepted Answer

Pésimo means awful or terrible; it is the absolute worst degree of malo (bad). Because it is already an extreme adjective, it has the idea of "very" built into it, so you never say muy pésimo.

Acababa de contestar, pero tuve que colgar por el wifi pésimo.

Breakdown of Acababa de contestar, pero tuve que colgar por el wifi pésimo.

Questions & Answers about Acababa de contestar, pero tuve que colgar por el wifi pésimo.

Learn Acababa de contestar, pero tuve que colgar por el wifi pésimo and more in Spanish