8.2: El imperfecto
- Page ID
- 74836
The imperfect
You have learned to use past tense using "pretérito". Now, you are going to learn a different way to talk about past actions using "imperfecto".
Verb conjugation
We are going to learn the conjugation of:
- Regular verbs;
- Stem changing verbs; and
- Irregular verbs (there are only three: ir, ser y ver)
Regular verbs
In the chart below, you will see the verbs "-ar", "-er and -ir" ending in the imperfect tense in bold. Verbs "tomar", "leer" and "escribir" are conjugated in the imperfect tense shown in bold.
Subject Pronoun |
"-ar" ending |
Verb "tomar" |
"er" and "ir" ending |
Verb "leer" |
Verb "escribir" |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yo |
-aba |
tomaba |
-ía |
leía |
escribía |
Tú |
-abas |
tomabas |
-ías |
leías |
escribías |
Usted, él, ella |
-aba |
tomaba |
-ía |
leía |
escribía |
Nosotros, nosotras |
-ábamos |
tomábamos |
-íamos |
leíamos |
escribíamos |
Vosotros, vosotras |
-abais |
tomabais |
-íais |
leíais |
escribíais |
Ustedes, ellos, ellas |
-aban |
tomaban |
-ían |
leían |
escribían |
Stem changing verbs
There is no stem changing verb in the imperfect tense. The stem changing verbs are conjugated like a regular "-ar" or "-er", "-ir" verb. Note that all verbs conjugated in imperfect tense shown below are highlighted in bold.
- "Tener" (e: ie) and "almorzar" (o: ue): Cuando los niños tenían hambre, almorzaban en la cafetería de la escuela.
- "Pedir" (e: i): Marisela siempre le pedía al mesero un vaso de agua y un café.
- "Jugar" (u: ue): Nosotros jugábamos al fútbol en el parque cada domingo.
Irregular verbs
Subjet Pronoun |
Ir (to go) |
Ser (to be) |
Ver (to see, to watch) |
---|---|---|---|
Yo |
iba |
era |
veía |
Tú |
ibas |
eras |
veías |
Usted, él, ella |
iba |
era |
veía |
Nosotros, nosotras |
íbamos |
éramos |
veíamos |
Vosotros, vosotras |
ibais |
erais |
veíais |
Ustedes, ellos, ellas |
iban |
eran |
veían |
Expressions of time used with the imperfect tense
Spanish | English |
---|---|
Siempre |
Always |
(Casi) siempre |
(Almost) always |
Frecuentemente, con frecuencia, a menudo |
Frequently |
Mientras |
While |
Generalmente |
Generally |
Todos los (días, meses, años, domingos, etc.) |
Every day, month, year, Sundays, etc. |
Todas las semanas | Every week |
Nunca, jamás | Never |
(Casi) nunca | (Almost) never |
Una vez, dos veces (# veces por día, semana, mes, año, etc.) | Once, twice (# of times per day, week, month, year, etc.) |
De vez en cuando, a veces | Sometimes |
Normalmente | Normally |
Cada día, semana, mes, año, primavera, verano, etc | Each day, week, month, year, Spring, Summer, etc. |
Uses of imperfect tense
Here are the uses of imperfect tense with examples. Note that all verbs conjugated in imperfect tense are in bold.
- Habitual or repeated actions
-
Nos levantábamos a las siete todos los días.
We used to get up at seven every day.
-
- Age
-
Carlitos tenía 5 años en esta foto.
Carlitos was 5 years old in this photo.
-
- Physical characteristics
-
Lucía era alta y bonita. Y siempre tenía una sonrisa.
Lucía was tall and pretty. And always had a smile.
-
- Mental or Emotional states
-
Lucía era muy lista y trabajadora. Nunca estaba triste ni enojada.
Lucía was very smart and hard-working. She was never sad nor angry.
-
- Telling time
-
Era la una de la madrugada. Eran las once.
It was one in the morning. It was eleven.
-
- Describing weather
-
Era una noche de tempestad. Llovía y había relámpagos.
It was a stormy night. It was raining and there were lightning.
-
- Events or actions that were on-going in the past/progressing
-
Yo tomaba el café mientras escuchaba la música.
I was drinking the coffee while listening to the music. -
Yo hacía la tarea mientras mi mamá preparaba la cena.
I was doing the homework while my mom was preparing the dinner. -
Nosotros estábamos cantando la canción mientras ustedes estaban bailando al ritmo.
We were singing the song while you were dancing to the rhythm
-