Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Imperfect Tense - SD

    Uploaded by

    Ceska Skola v CA
    37 views3 pages
    The Spanish imperfect tense (el imperfecto) is used to describe past habitual actions or ongoing actions that were interrupted. It has regular forms for -ar, -er and -ir verbs that are conjugated by removing the infinitive ending and adding the imperfect ending. There are three irregular verbs - ir, ser, and ver. The imperfect is used to talk about repeated actions, actions in progress, times and dates, age, and descriptions in the past.

    Original Description:

    Imperfect Tense Simple Guide for students of Spanish

    Original Title

    Imperfect Tense _ SD

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    The Spanish imperfect tense (el imperfecto) is used to describe past habitual actions or ongoing actions that were interrupted. It has regular forms for -ar, -er and -ir verbs that are conjugated by removing the infinitive ending and adding the imperfect ending. There are three irregular verbs - ir, ser, and ver. The imperfect is used to talk about repeated actions, actions in progress, times and dates, age, and descriptions in the past.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    37 views3 pages

    Imperfect Tense - SD

    Uploaded by

    Ceska Skola v CA
    The Spanish imperfect tense (el imperfecto) is used to describe past habitual actions or ongoing actions that were interrupted. It has regular forms for -ar, -er and -ir verbs that are conjugated by removing the infinitive ending and adding the imperfect ending. There are three irregular verbs - ir, ser, and ver. The imperfect is used to talk about repeated actions, actions in progress, times and dates, age, and descriptions in the past.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    8/14/2018 Spanish Imperfect Tense | SpanishDict

    Imperfect Tense Forms


    Quick Answer

    The Spanish imperfect tense (el imperfecto ) is used to describe past habitual
    actions or to talk about what someone was doing when they were interrupted by
    something else.

    Regular Imperfect Forms


    There are only two sets of endings for regular imperfect verbs in Spanish, one for -arverbs and one for
    both -er and -ir verbs.

    To conjugate a regular verb in the imperfect tense in Spanish, simply remove the
    infinitive ending (-ar, -er, or -ir) and add the imperfect ending that matches the subject.

    Check out the table of regular imperfect endings below.

    Regular Imperfect Verb Endings

    Subject -ar Verbs -er and -ir Verbs

    yo -aba -ía

    tú -abas -ías

    él, ella, usted -aba -ía

    nosotros -ábamos -íamos

    vosotros -abais -íais

    ellos, ellas, ustedes -aban -ían

    Irregular Imperfect Forms


    There are only three verbs with irregular conjugations in the imperfect: ir, ser, and ver. Here they are!

    Irregular Imperfect Conjugations

    Subject Ir (to go) Ser (to be) Ver (to see)

    yo iba era veía


    https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/spanish-imperfect-tense-forms 1/3
    8/14/2018 Spanish Imperfect Tense | SpanishDict

    tú ibas eras veías

    él, ella, usted iba era veía

    nosotros íbamos éramos veíamos

    vosotros ibais erais veíais

    ellos, ellas, ustedes iban eran veían

    Uses of the Imperfect Tense


    In general, the imperfect is used to talk about past actions, conditions, or events that occurred
    habitually or repeatedly or that were in progress at a point in the past. It is also used to tell time, talk
    about dates, give a person's age, and describe characteristics, conditions, and feelings in the past.
    Read on for more about these uses of the imperfect.

    1. Habitual or Repeated Actions

    Habitual or repeated actions are those that were done over and over in the past. These are often
    things a person used to or would do.

    Almorzábamos cada día.


    We used to eat lunch together every day.

    Todos los sábados las mujeres iban de compras.


    Every Saturday the ladies would go shopping.

    2. Actions that Were in Progress in the Past

    It's quite common to see the imperfect used to talk about something that was happening when
    something else occurred. It's also used for actions that continued in the past for an unspecified period
    of time.

    When talking about a past action in progress that was interrupted, the action in
    progress is in the imperfect, while the interrupting action is in the preterite. For more on
    the differences between the preterite and the imperfect, check out this article!

    Iba a clase cuando sonó el teléfono.


    I was going to class when the telephone rang.

    Mi papá cocinaba cuando entré a casa.


    My dad was cooking when I came in the house.

    A veces le dolían las manos y las piernas.


    Sometimes her hands and feet ached.

    https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/spanish-imperfect-tense-forms 2/3
    8/14/2018 Spanish Imperfect Tense | SpanishDict

    3. Times and Dates

    The imperfect is used to talk about times and dates in the past.

    Eran las tres de la tarde.


    It was three o'clock in the afternoon.

    Era el 9 de mayo.
    It was May 9th.

    4. Age

    The imperfect is commonly used to talk about age in the past.

    La niña tenía 4 años.


    The little girl was 4 years old.

    Los perros tenían dos años cuando los adopté.


    The dogs were two years old when I adopted them.

    5. Descriptions of Characteristics, Conditions, and Feelings

    The imperfect is used to give descriptions in the past, especially those that set the scene in terms of
    the senses.

    Mi profesor era alto y tenía el pelo ondulado.


    My professor was tall and had wavy hair.

    El campo era bello.


    The countryside was beautiful.

    Hacía calor esa noche.


    It was hot that night.

    Me sentía feliz con mi trabajo nuevo.


    I was happy with my new job.

    Quería mudarme a otro país.


    I wanted to move to another country.

    Take a practice quiz!

    https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/spanish-imperfect-tense-forms 3/3

    You might also like