A. ¿Qué tal las vacaciones? B. Regular. Hemos estado/Estuvimos la mitad del tiempo en el hospital con mi suegra. (You can use either "hemos estado" or "estuvimos". "Hemos estado" is you are talking about a recent past and "estuvimos" if it's been more time since you were on holidays. Not "estábamos" because that implies a repetition of the action or a long condition) A. ¿Qué te pasó ayer? Te llamé tres veces por la tarde. B. Estuve de compras con mi amiga Lola. (If we are talking about yesterday, we use "estuve"; we would use "he estado" in case the fact is somehow related to the present with expressions like "esta mañana", "este año", "este fin de semana"...)

1º With this questions you can asnwer with pretérito perfecto de indicativo (estuvimos) or Preteríto perfecto compuesto (hemos estado) but you can´t use pretérito imperfecto de indicativo (Estábamos) A. ¿Qué tal las vacaciones? B. Regular. Hemos estado la mitad del tiempo en el hospital con mi suegra. (good). When you use it, the listener wait more sentences (another half) B. Regular. Estuvimos la mitad del tiempo en el hospital con mi suegra. (better) B. Regular. Estábamos la mitad del tiempo en el hospital con mi suegra. (Bad). You can use this form verb when you do something and happening another thing. We were in y the hospital when my mother in law died (nosotros estábamos en el hospitalo cuando my suegra murió). We were singing when I kissed her. (nosotros estabamos cantando cuando la besé. 2º The question is similar. I think that I explain before. When you use Preteríto perfecto compuesto people waits listening more sentences, however with the pretérito perfecto de indicativo no. But the both is good. A. ¿Qué te pasó ayer? Te llamé tres veces por la tarde. B. Estuve de compras con mi amiga Lola. (good) B. He estado de compras con mi amiga Lola. (Medium), in this cuestions you must say first : Nothing, I was shopping with my firend Lola. Because the question is happend not where. If you say Where were you yesterday? you must say Estuve, you don´t say He estado because you only need one sentences. Sorry for my English I hope you understand me.

Hi Derek: A. ¿Qué tal las vacaciones? B. Regular. Hemos estado-Estábamos la mitad del tiempo en el hospital con mi suegra. Hemos estado: It's used to talk about something near to the present moment. So If the holidays have just finished you may use it. Estábamos:" Pretérito imperfecto". In Spain we use it to talk about an accion in the past but without telling it has finished or not. So I think you musn´t use it --------------------------------- A. ¿Qué te pasó ayer? Te llamé tres veces por la tarde. B. Estuve-He estado de compras con mi amiga Lola. Estuve: "pretérito perfecto simple" We use it to talk about actions in the past that are finished. So you must use it in this case. He estado: Like "hemos estado" It's used to talk about something near to the present moment. If the shoping had been done this morning you could have used it. In this case yesterday is not near the present moment. Sorry about my english.