Describe actions that were ongoing or in progress in the past.
Talk about habitual or repeated past actions.
Provide background information or set the scene in a story.
Describe physical, mental, or emotional states in the past.
Tell time or give age in the past.
Key Uses
Spanish Example
Yo leía mientras él cocinaba.
English Example
I was reading while he was cooking.
Usage
Ongoing past actions
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Formation
The imperfect tense is formed by removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding the imperfect endings.
-ar Verbs
Spanish Example
Yo hablaba
English Example
I spoke / was speaking
Pronoun
Ending
hablar (to speak)
yo
-aba
hablaba
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-er and -ir Verbs
Spanish Example
Yo comía
English Example
I ate / was eating
Pronoun
Ending
comer (to eat)
vivir (to live)
yo
-ía
comía
vivía
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Irregular Verbs
There are only three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense: ir, ser, and ver. Their stems change, but they still follow the imperfect endings.
ir — to go
Spanish Word
iba
English Translation
I went / was going
Pronoun
yo
(1 of 6)
ser — to be
Spanish Word
era
English Translation
I was
Pronoun
yo
(1 of 6)
ver — to see
Spanish Word
veía
English Translation
I saw / was seeing
Pronoun
yo
(1 of 6)
Examples
Spanish Example
Cuando era niño, jugaba en el bosque.
English Example
When I was a child, I played in the woods.
Usage
Habitual past action / background
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Summary
The imperfect tense is used to describe past actions without a definite beginning or end, focusing on the process, habit, or background rather than the completion. It is commonly used for setting scenes, describing conditions, and talking about routines in the past.
