Question 1

Why use the imperfect tense for iba but the preterite for olvidé?

Accepted Answer

Iba a medir describes an ongoing intention in the past ("was going to measure"). The imperfect tense sets this background plan. Olvidé is in the preterite because the act of forgetting was a specific, completed event that interrupted or canceled your plan.

Question 2

What does lo mean in lo olvidé if mezcla is feminine?

Accepted Answer

The pronoun lo doesn't refer to the feminine noun la mezcla. Instead, it acts as a neuter pronoun referring to the entire idea of "measuring the mixture." While in English we can simply say "I forgot," Spanish usually needs lo to represent the action or idea that was forgotten.

Question 3

Could I use fui a medir instead of iba a medir?

Accepted Answer

Not if you want to express an unfulfilled plan. Iba a + infinitive means you intended to do something (but didn't). If you say fui a medir, it means you actually physically went somewhere and completed the action of measuring.

Question 4

I usually hear people say se me olvidó. Can I use that here instead of lo olvidé?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Both are very common. Lo olvidé is a direct way to say "I forgot it." Using the accidental structure se me olvidó is often preferred in everyday speech because it makes the forgetting sound less intentional, like saying "it slipped my mind."

Yo iba a medir la mezcla, pero lo olvidé.

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