A state with no end

no tenía · estaba

a state that just was· tap a form for the whole table

Say these out loud

Why it works

A state that simply WAS, with no start or end in view, takes the imperfect.

Mi piso no tenía ascensor. El móvil no funcionaba.

Why not no tuve

no tuve ascensor

I didn’t have a lift

Puts a start and an end on it, as if the lift came and went. The flat simply had none.

In a full sentence

El servidor estaba muy lento durante el despliegue.
The server was very slow during the deploy.
The slowness had no clear beginning or end.
Yo estaba cansado después de ir al gimnasio.
I was tired after going to the gym.
This describes a continuing state in the past.
Ella tenía cita en la oficina de extranjería.
She had an appointment at the immigration office.
It states a past condition without focusing on its limits.

5 gaps to fill, then 3 sentences from the English · say or type each one