general rule + 2 irregulars

when is it used?

The Spanish imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto) is used for past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or habitual, or for describing times, ages, and backgrounds. It translates roughly to "was/were [verb]-ing" or "used to [verb]" in English.

read example sentence

Hacía mucho frío. — It was very cold.

Imperfect Rule: -AR verbs

Keep the stem and add: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban

Imperfect Rule: -ER / -IR verbs

Keep the stem and add: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (Note: all have accents!)

ser?

The verb ser is an irregular verb in the imperfect tense, with the forms: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran.

ir?

The verb ir is another irregular verb in the imperfect tense, with the forms: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban.