PLEASE HELP! SPANISH 2 preterite vs imperfect

1. hablaba

2. daba, interrumpió

Explanation:

1-- The action was ongoing-- Sara was speaking (hablaba) on the telephone; therefore we would use the imperfect tense.

2-- For the first part, Ana was giving (daba) a presentation. This is an ongoing action, so it is imperfect. The second part, the professor interrupted her (la interrumpió) . Because it was an action that interrupted an ongoing action, you use the preterit tense.

The general rules for preterit vs imperfect are as follows:

Preterit:

1. Use for single, past events or a specific moment in time

2. Use for a list of sequential actions. (ex: I bought a car, ate at a restaurant, and then went home to sleep/Compré un carro, comí en un restaurante, y después regresé a casa para dormir).

3. Use for actions that interrupt ongoing action.

4. Use for verbs referring to the senses (hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, mouth)

Imperfect:

1. Action(s) in progress in the past (ex: was running)

2. Repeated, habitual actions (used to)

3. Interrupted action

4. Telling what the time, weather, or age was

5. Descriptions of physical or mental state.