Verbs: Imperfect Tense

01

When to Use the Imperfect

The imperfect is used in several specific contexts to describe the past.

Habitual or Repeated Actions

Use the imperfect for actions that happened repeatedly or were a habit in the past.

• Cuando era niño, jugaba con mis primos todos los fines de semana.

  When I was a child, I used to play with my cousins every weekend.

• Mi mamá siempre nos preparaba chilaquiles los domingos.

  My mom always used to make us chilaquiles on Sundays.

Descriptions and Setting the Scene

Use the imperfect to describe people, places, things, and situations in the past. It paints a picture of what things were like.

• La casa de mi abuela era amarilla y tenía un jardín muy grande.

  My grandmother's house was yellow and had a very big garden.

• Hacía mucho sol y la gente caminaba por el parque.

  It was very sunny and people were walking through the park.

Ongoing Past Actions

This tense is used for an action that was in progress in the past, often when it was interrupted by another action.

• Yo leía un libro cuando sonó el teléfono.

  I was reading a book when the phone rang.

• ¿Qué hacían ustedes cuando empezó a llover?

  What were you all doing when it started to rain?

Time, Age, and Weather in the Past

The imperfect is used to state the time, someone's age, or the weather in a past context.

• Eran las diez de la noche.

  It was ten at night.

• En 2010, yo tenía quince años.

  In 2010, I was fifteen years old.

Mental and Emotional States

Use the imperfect to describe feelings, thoughts, beliefs, or desires in the past.

• Yo creía que el examen era el viernes.

  I thought the exam was on Friday.

• Estábamos muy emocionados por el viaje.

  We were very excited about the trip.

02

How to Form the Imperfect

The imperfect is a highly regular tense. To conjugate a verb, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add the appropriate ending.

Regular -ar Verbs

The endings are: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -aban.

For the verb hablar (to speak):

• yo hablaba
• tú hablabas
• él/ella/usted hablaba
• nosotros/as hablábamos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes hablaban

Regular -er and -ir Verbs

Both -er and -ir verbs share the same set of endings in the imperfect: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían.

For the verb comer (to eat):

• yo comía
• tú comías
• él/ella/usted comía
• nosotros/as comíamos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes comían

03

Irregular Verbs

There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense.

Ser (to be)

• yo era
• tú eras
• él/ella/usted era
• nosotros/as éramos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes eran

• Nosotros éramos buenos amigos en la secundaria.

  We were good friends in middle school.

Ir (to go)

• yo iba
• tú ibas
• él/ella/usted iba
• nosotros/as íbamos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes iban

• ¿A dónde ibas con tanta prisa?

  Where were you going in such a hurry?

Ver (to see)

• yo veía
• tú veías
• él/ella/usted veía
• nosotros/as veíamos
• ellos/ellas/ustedes veían

• Desde el balcón, veíamos pasar los coches.

  From the balcony, we used to watch the cars go by.