Spanish Imperfect

Imperfect Tense Rules

1. -ar Verbs

• Conjugation endings:

  • yo: -aba

  • tú: -abas

  • él/ella/usted: -aba

  • nosotros: -ábamos

  • vosotros: -abais

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -aban

2. -er and -ir Verbs

• Conjugation endings:

  • yo: -ía

  • tú: -ías

  • él/ella/usted: -ía

  • nosotros: -íamos

  • vosotros: -íais

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ían

Conjugations for Key Verbs

1. Estar (to be)

• yo: estaba

• tú: estabas

• él/ella/usted: estaba

• nosotros: estábamos

• vosotros: estabais

• ellos/ellas/ustedes: estaban

2. Ser (to be)

• yo: era

• tú: eras

• él/ella/usted: era

• nosotros: éramos

• vosotros: erais

• ellos/ellas/ustedes: eran

3. Ir (to go)

• yo: iba

• tú: ibas

• él/ella/usted: iba

• nosotros: íbamos

• vosotros: ibais

• ellos/ellas/ustedes: iban

4. Ver (to see)

• yo: veía

• tú: veías

• él/ella/usted: veía

• nosotros: veíamos

• vosotros: veíais

• ellos/ellas/ustedes: veían

Tips for Using the Imperfect Tense

1. Use for Habitual Actions: The imperfect is often used to describe actions that were repeated habitually in the past (e.g., "Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días" - "When I was a child, I played soccer every day").

2. Describe Background Information: It is used to set the scene or describe the background (e.g., "Era un día soleado" - "It was a sunny day").

3. Use with Time and Age: The imperfect is commonly used to express time and age in the past (e.g., "Tenía diez años" - "I was ten years old").

4. Emotional States: Use it to describe feelings or emotions in the past (e.g., "Estaba feliz" - "I was happy").

5. Practice Regularly: Conjugating verbs regularly will help you become more comfortable with the tense. Flashcards or quizzes can be effective.