Imperfect SG

EL IMPERFECTO

EL IMPERFECTO 

The imperfect is one of the two ways we use past tense in Spanish. The other past tense is called the preterite or pretérito. 

There are several acronyms for using the imperfect tense:

H	Habitual	The imperfect tense is used for several reasons: To talk about things that do not have a specific beginning or end Repeated or habitual actions in the past To describe things (including weather) and people (including age) in the past Actions that are interrupted / simultaneous actions “Used to” in English is often the imperfect tense in Spanish It’s used to set the stage ↗
O	Ongoing
D	Description
D	Date & Time
S	Set the Scene

Here are TWO more! 

Flag Phrases: There are terms that are used in conjunction with the imperfect. Here is a list of some of them:

 Conjugation Rules for the imperfect tense:

• There are NO stem changers

• There are only 3 irregulars 

• Some imperfect conjugations have accent marks!

Ex. Yo trabajaba en Toys R Us hace muchos años.                   Ex. ¿Ustedes vivían en Puerto Rico antes? Irregular Imperfect Conjugations: There are 3 verbs that have irregular conjugations in the imperfect tense. 

*NOTICE: ser & ir have accent marks on the first letter of the 1st person plural conjugations (nosotros). 

More notes on the irregular imperfects:

• Remember, ser is used for DOCTOR: descriptions (physical), occupations, characteristics (personality), time/date, origin/nationality, and relationships. 

• When using SER for descriptions, characteristics, occupation, or origin remember you have to match the gender of the adjective to the noun it is describing. 

  • De pequeño, él era rubio.  → rubio is singular and masculine (ending in O), because it describes the subject, “él”

  • Ellas eran bajas. → bajas is feminine and plural because, it describes the subject, “ellas” 

  • Juan era enfermero. → enfermero is masculine and singular because it describes the subject, Juan

  • El equipo de baloncesto era mexicano. → mexicano is masculine and singular because it describes the subject, el equipo. 

• When using ser to tell time, you will only use two forms of the verb…the 3rd person singular or 3rd person plural

  • When saying something was at 1 or used to be at 1 - use ERA 

    • La fiesta era a la una de la tarde.   / Era la una de la mañana cuando llegué a casa. 

  • When saying something was at any time other than 1 - use ERAN

    • Eran las cuatro de la tarde pero la película no empezó. 

• When using ser for relationships, you will also make sure the adjective matches the number and gender of the subject. 

  • Ella era mi madrastra. → madrastra is the feminine family member for stepparent (stepmother) and is feminine and singular because it describes the subject, ella. 

  • Jorge y Rosa eran hermanos.  → hermanos is plural but, because it’s describing both Jorge (masculine) and Rosa (feminine) we have to default and use the masculine form…

Vocab List

• ayer – yesterday

• anteayer – the day before yesterday

• de repente – suddenly

• anoche – last night

• hace una semana – a week ago

• esta mañana – this morning

• el lunes pasado – last Monday

• la semana pasada – last week

• a tiempo – on time

• tarde – late

• comprar – to buy

• vivir – to live

• comer – to eat

• ir – to go

• ser – to be

• tener – to have

• estar – to be

• andar – to walk/stroll

• saber – to know (facts/information)

• poder – to be able to

• poner – to put/place

• haber – to have (auxiliary verb)

• querer – to want

• hacer – to make/do

• venir – to come

• conducir – to drive

• producir – to produce

• traducir – to translate

• traer – to bring

• decir – to say

• leer – to read

• creer – to believe

• oír – to hear

• ver – to see

• dar – to give

• sacar – to take out

• tocar – to touch/play (instrument)

• buscar – to search/look for

• pagar – to pay

• llegar – to arrive

• jugar – to play (a game/sport)

• empezar – to start/begin

• comenzar – to start/begin

• estudiar – to study

• dormir – to sleep

• cantar – to sing

• descansar – to rest

• correr – to run

• nadar – to swim

• practicar – to practice

• salir – to leave / to go out

• bailar – to dance

• cocinar – to cook

• viajar – to travel

• dibujar – to draw

• entrenar – to train / to work out

• limpiar – to clean

• lavar – to wash

• navegar por internet – to surf the web

• tomar una foto / un selfi – to take a picture / selfie

• hacer compras en línea – to shop online

• chatear – to chat

• enviar / responder un mensaje – to send / reply to a message

• dar un “me gusta” – to like something

• cargar – to charge

• decir – to say (diciendo – saying)

• pedir – to request (pidiendo – requesting)

• venir – to come (viniendo – coming)

• mentir – to lie (mintiendo – lying)

• repetir – to repeat (repitiendo – repeating)

• reír – to laugh (riendo – laughing)

• sentir – to feel (sintiendo – feeling)

• morir – to die (muriendo – dying)

• dormir – to sleep (durmiendo – sleeping)