Lost and Fallen

I'm taking a spanish class this semester, and although I don't frequent my book enough, I'm loving it.  One interesting aspect that appears in all languages are the peculiarities of speech-one such peculiarity in spanish is the descriptive words of the past tense.  In describing the past, there are the 'perfect' and 'imperfect' tenses.  

The perfect past tense is used in describing actions that are complete with a starting and stopping point, while the imperfect describes actions that were ongoing where starting and stopping are unimportant (in a nutshell).  For example, perfect tense would be used to describe the situation of someone dying their hair (she started and finished dying her hair), and the imperfect tense would describe someone's natural hair color (she's a redhead-doesn't matter when and is subject to change).

The following phrase is found in 1 Nephi 10:6,

Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

If I were to translate this section from english to spanish, I would translate the 'all mankind were' using the imperfect tense, which means it is subject to change.  In other words, we aren't eternally in a lost and fallen state.  Just for a time, and that time period is contingent upon our use of the atonement.

And that's exactly how it is translated into spanish :).

Oh... and "state" is a transient phase that is a condition.  We can choose our state... remember our "state of happiness" or "state of wickedness?"