Imperfect Progressive Tense in Spanish

Understanding the Imperfect Progressive Tense in Spanish

• Definition: The imperfect progressive tense expresses actions that were ongoing in the past. In English, this is equivalent to phrases like "I was working”. In Spanish, the endings -ando or -iendo are equivalent to the English -ing.

• Comparison with Present Progressive:

  • The present progressive indicates actions currently in progress, e.g., "I am eating".

  • The imperfect progressive mirrors this structure for past actions.

• Forming the Imperfect Progressive:

  • Involves the imperfect tense of a verb like "estar" and the progressive form of the main verb.

  • Example in Spanish:

  • "Estaba + comiendo" (I was eating).

• Imperfect Forms of "Estar":

  • yo estaba (I was)

  • tú estabas (you were)

  • él/ella/usted estaba (he/she/you were)

  • nosotros/as estábamos (we were)

  • vosotros/as estabais (you all were)

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes estaban (they/you all were)

• Using Reflexive Verbs:

  • Reflexive verbs also conjugate in the imperfect progressive.

  • Example: "te estabas llevantando" (You were getting up).

  • A different form: “estabas llevántandote” (Same meaning)

    • Note: When the reflexive verb is kept at the end of the sentence, remember to add an accent to the correct verb to maintain pronunciation.

• Additional Verbs:

  • Some common verbs to express continuous action include:

  • seguir (to keep on): e.g., "seguía caminando" (I kept on walking).

  • continuar (to continue): e.g., "continuaba mirando" (I continued looking).

  • venir (to come): e.g., "venía corriendo" (I came running).

    • Notice the stem change here

  • andar (to go around): e.g., "andaba hablando" (I went around talking).

• Example Sentences:

  • "Estaba comiendo" (I was eating).

  • "Estábamos jugando" (We were playing).

  • "Continuaba hablando" (I continued talking).