AIBU to think an 8yr old probably can't understand difference between past perfect and past imperfect?

[3birthdaybunnies]

Dd1's homework was to put some verbs in the 'past tense'. Some of these have been marked as incorrect when she has used a past imperfect tense (was painting) rather than what I presume was the intended past perfect (painted). I have tried to explain to her that her answer is a correct past tense but that her answer would tend to be used if she then went on to talk about something else, so I was painting the door when I fell off the ladder. About half the words she used the perfect form and half the imperfect, it was just a list of verbs - paint, swim etc. Teacher's comment was that it was a good try. (She says that they haven't covered past imperfect. )

I'd assume that this was a follow on from something they'd done at school - so the children would have been (e.g) taught rules (e.g. play-played but fly-flied but swim -swam). So she should have been putting into practice what she'd learnt at school?

You are quite right, OP. In France, where learning conjugation is unfortunately impossible to avoid, 8 year olds are hard pressed to understand the nuances of tense. My DD is nearly 9 and is expected to know (in French) the present, future and imperfect tenses and to use them correctly. But other tenses (and modes) are only just being introduced.

redskyatnight - "fly - flied" ???

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fly#fly_1

redskyatnight - "fly - flied" ???

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fly#fly_1

fly-flew non?

I would expect my 8.5 yr old to understand this... am fairly sure they've covered it in school. although he's at a Montessori school, so poss down to differences in curriculum

I think that it would depend on how well the teacher explained what they were meant to do.

In my memory perfect and imperfect were taught to me when I learnt foreign languages not in English lessons. My knowledge of the tenses comes solely from learning other languages.

me too Portofino but from seeing my DDs (yr3 & yr5) they are learning grammar in a much more structured way. thank goodness for the internet. In English I only know what is right because it sounds right (or wrong) to me, I can only explain the tenses due to French A level.

I would imagine most children will have been taught to add "ed" for the past tense as well as learning irregular verb tenses from Y2 and it seems this is what the teacher wanted. I wouldn't have marked your daughter's work as incorrect but used it as a teaching point