Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?
lostinspanish said:Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?
You are right "last month" indicates that the action has ended = past perfect tense.lostinspanish said:Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?
You use the imperfect here because it was something you used to do regularly, not just a one-off.lostinspanish said:Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?
Imperfection is expressed by I used –a past time still to be concluded- as you are telling a story with an extension in time; on the other hand, I spoke to her… aims at a punctual moment.lostinspanish said:Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?
I don't think that sentence is correct. You wouldn't say "I used to speak to her all the time last month"; you'd either say "I spoke to her all the time last month", or "I used to speak to her all the time", without specifying the time.lostinspanish said:Hi Folks! Thanx for all the replies but I'm still confused. Why is "speak" in "I used to speak to her all the time last month" considered imperfect? Doesn't "last month" hint that I don't speak to her anymore (complete)?