Verbs: Imperfect Tense — European Spanish Grammar

The imperfect tense (el pretérito imperfecto) describes past actions that have no definite beginning or end. It is used to talk about habits, set the scene, describe physical or emotional states, and express actions that were in progress.

Regular Conjugation: -ar Verbs

To conjugate regular verbs ending in , remove the infinitive ending and add the following suffixes. Note that the first person () and third person () forms are identical. Context usually clarifies who is performing the action.

(note the accent mark)

Yo hablaba con mi madre cada día.
I used to speak with my mother every day.
Ellos jugaban al fútbol en el parque.
They were playing football in the park.

Regular Conjugation: -er and -ir Verbs

Verbs ending in and share the exact same set of endings in the imperfect tense. Every form in this group carries an accent mark on the í.

Tú comías muchas verduras.
You used to eat a lot of vegetables.
Vivíamos en Madrid en aquella época.
We lived in Madrid at that time.

Irregular Verbs

There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense: (to be), (to go), and (to see).

Ser (to be)

Ir (to go)

Ver (to see)

(keeps the 'e' from the stem)

Cuando era joven, era muy tímido.
When I was young, I was very shy.
Íbamos a la playa todos los veranos.
We used to go to the beach every summer.

Usage: Habitual Actions

Use the imperfect to describe repeated actions or routines in the past. This is often translated as "used to" or "would" in English.

Mi abuelo fumaba en pipa.
My grandfather used to smoke a pipe.
Siempre desayunábamos juntos.
We always ate breakfast together.

Usage: Descriptions and Background

The imperfect sets the scene for a story. It describes time, weather, age, physical appearance, and emotional states.

Hacía mucho frío y llovía.
It was very cold and it was raining.
La casa era grande y antigua.
The house was big and old.
Eran las tres de la tarde.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon.

Usage: Actions in Progress

Use this tense for actions that were unfolding when something else happened. The interrupting action is usually in the preterite tense.

Yo leía cuando sonó el teléfono.
I was reading when the phone rang.
Ella dormía mientras nosotros estudiábamos.
She was sleeping while we were studying.

Politeness

In European Spanish, the imperfect is frequently used to make polite requests or sound less direct, particularly with the verb (to want).

Quería pedirle un favor.
I wanted to ask you a favor.
¿Qué deseaba?
What did you wish for? (Commonly used by shopkeepers: "Can I help you?")

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s European Spanish course

6 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 175. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Imperfect Tense” is about in bold:

¡No te había visto desde hace nueve años!
I haven't seen you for nine years!
Lesson 175
No llegué tarde. Llegué temprano. El tráfico era normal.
I am not late. I am early. Traffic was normal.
Lesson 279

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