5.4: El Imperfecto

Learning Objectives

• Use -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the imperfect past tense
• Use ser, ir, and ver in the imperfect past tense

Spanish has two main tenses for talking about the past: the preterite and the imperfect.
The preterite is used for completed actions — things that happened and ended — while the imperfect focuses on background actions, ongoing situations, and repeated habits in the past.

You’ll use the imperfect to:

• describe actions that happened repeatedly or habitually,
• talk about ongoing or continuous actions in the past,
• and describe people, places, feelings, or situations — in other words, what things used to be like.

Common time expressions that go with the imperfect include:
siempre, todos los días, a menudo, frecuentemente, normalmente, usualmente, and a veces.

It’s also one of the easiest tenses to learn—and even a little fun to pronounce. Try saying trabajábamos five times fast!

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Regular Imperfect Forms

There are only two sets of endings for regular verbs in the imperfect:

• one for –ar verbs
• and one shared by –er and –ir verbs

To form the imperfect, remove the infinitive ending (–ar, –er, or –ir) and add the appropriate ending based on the subject.

Subject	–ar verbs (hablar)	–er / –ir verbs (comer / vivir)
yo	hablaba	comía
tú	hablabas	comías
él / ella / usted	hablaba	comía
nosotros	hablábamos	comíamos
ellos / ellas / ustedes	hablaban	comían

Note

• In –ar verbs, only the nosotros form has an accent mark.
• In –er and –ir verbs, all forms include an accented í.
• The yo and él/ella/usted forms are identical.

Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

Only three verbs are irregular in this tense: ser, ir, and ver.

Subject	ser	ir	ver
yo	era	iba	veía
tú	eras	ibas	veías
él / ella / usted	era	iba	veía
nosotros	éramos	íbamos	veíamos
ellos / ellas / ustedes	eran	iban	veían

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The Verb “Haber” in the Imperfect

The verb haber (to have, as in “there is/are”) appears in the imperfect as había, and it’s used only in the singular form to mean there was or there were.

Example

Cuando era niña, no había teléfonos celulares.
(When I was a little girl, there were no cellphones.)

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When to Use the Imperfect

The imperfect is used to set the scene in the past rather than narrate specific completed actions. It helps describe background information and repeated or continuous activity.

1. Habitual or Repeated Actions

Use the imperfect for activities that occurred regularly in the past.
Examples:

• Íbamos al cine todos los sábados.
  We went to the movies every Saturday.

• Siempre comíamos juntos después del trabajo.
  We always ate together after work.

2. Ongoing or Background Actions

Use it to describe what was happening when something else occurred.
Examples:

• Yo chateaba por internet mientras mi hermano montaba en bicicleta.
  I was chatting online while my brother rode his bike.

• Ella estudiaba cuando llegó su amiga.
  She was studying when her friend arrived.

3. Time and Dates

Use the imperfect to tell what time it was or the date in the past.
Examples:

• Eran las tres de la tarde.
  It was three in the afternoon.

• Era el cinco de mayo.
  It was May fifth.

4. Age in the Past

Use the imperfect to talk about how old someone was.
Examples:

• La niña tenía cuatro años.
  The girl was four years old.

• Cuando tenía veinte años, vivía en otro país.
  When I was twenty, I lived in another country.

5. Descriptions of People, Conditions, and Feelings

Use it to describe characteristics, emotions, weather, and situations in the past.
Examples:

• Mi profesor era amable y tenía mucha paciencia.
  My teacher was kind and very patient.

• Hacía calor y la playa estaba llena de gente.
  It was hot and the beach was crowded.

• Me sentía feliz con mi trabajo nuevo.
  I felt happy with my new job.