Mastering the Imperfect Tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Imperfecto)
Welcome to your complete guide to the imperfect tense! If you have ever wanted to describe what your life used to be like when you were younger, set the scene in a story, or talk about past habits, this is the tense you need. Think of the imperfect tense as your descriptive storytelling tool.
Don't worry if past tenses in Spanish seem a bit intimidating at first. By the end of these notes, you will see that the imperfect is actually one of the most regular and predictable tenses in the entire Spanish language!
1. What is the Imperfect Tense and When Do We Use It?
In Spanish, we have more than one way to talk about the past. While some tenses talk about quick, completed events (like a single snapshot photo), the imperfect tense is like a continuous video clip. It describes actions that were ongoing, repeated, or setting a background scene without a specific end point.
The Three Main Uses
1. Habitual Actions and Routines ("Used to" or "Would do")
Use the imperfect to talk about things you did repeatedly over time in the past.
Example: Cuando era pequeño, jugaba al fútbol. (When I was little, I used to play football.)
2. Background Descriptions and Setting the Scene
Use the imperfect to describe people, places, weather, age, feelings, and time in the past.
Example: Hacía sol y tenía diez años. (It was sunny and I was ten years old.)
3. Ongoing Actions ("Was / Were doing")
Use the imperfect for actions that were in progress in the past.
Example: Yo leía. (I was reading.)
Did You Know?
The imperfect is often used alongside another past tense (the preterite). The imperfect sets the background scene of what was already happening (Yo leía — I was reading) when a sudden, completed event interrupted it!
Key Takeaway:
Use the imperfect for habits ("used to"), ongoing actions ("was doing"), and descriptions (weather, age, feelings) in the past.
2. Forming Regular Verbs in the Imperfect Tense
Forming the imperfect tense is very straightforward. You take the infinitive verb (the base form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir), remove the ending, and add the special imperfect endings to the stem.
-AR Verbs (Example: Hablar - to speak)
For all regular -ar verbs, the endings all share the letters -aba-:
Yo (I): hablaba (I used to speak / I was speaking)
Tú (You, singular informal): hablabas (You used to speak)
Él / Ella / Usted (He / She / You formal): hablaba (He/She used to speak)
Nosotros / Nosotras (We): hablábamos (We used to speak)
Vosotros / Vosotras (You all): hablabais (You all used to speak)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes (They / You all formal): hablaban (They used to speak)
-ER and -IR Verbs (Examples: Comer - to eat / Vivir - to live)
Here is great news: -er and -ir verbs share the exact same set of endings! Every single ending starts with an accented -ía:
Yo (I): comía / vivía (I used to eat / I was living)
Tú (You, singular informal): comías / vivías (You used to eat / live)
Él / Ella / Usted (He / She / You formal): comía / vivía (He/She used to eat / live)
Nosotros / Nosotras (We): comíamos / vivíamos (We used to eat / live)
Vosotros / Vosotras (You all): comíais / vivíais (You all used to eat / live)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes (They / You all formal): comían / vivían (They used to eat / live)
Step-by-Step Guide to Conjugating:
Step 1: Find your infinitive verb (e.g., comer).
Step 2: Chop off the last two letters (comer becomes com-).
Step 3: Decide who is doing the action (e.g., we = nosotros).
Step 4: Add the matching ending (com- + -íamos = comíamos).
Key Takeaway:
-AR verbs use the -aba family endings. -ER and -IR verbs both use the -ía family endings (and every single one has an accent on the letter í!).
3. The Three Irregular Verbs
In many Spanish tenses, there are long lists of irregular verbs to memorise. In the imperfect tense, there are ONLY THREE irregular verbs in the entire language!
1. Ser (To be)
Yo: era
Tú: eras
Él / Ella / Usted: era
Nosotros: éramos
Vosotros: erais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes: eran
2. Ir (To go)
Yo: iba
Tú: ibas
Él / Ella / Usted: iba
Nosotros: íbamos
Vosotros: ibais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes: iban
3. Ver (To see / watch)
Yo: veía
Tú: veías
Él / Ella / Usted: veía
Nosotros: veíamos
Vosotros: veíais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes: veían
Top Memory Trick:
Remember the word S-I-V (Ser, Ir, Ver). If a verb is not one of these three, it is completely regular in the imperfect tense!
Key Takeaway:
Only ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía) break the regular rules. Learn these three patterns and you have mastered all irregulars in this tense!
4. Time Markers (Trigger Words)
Certain clue words in Spanish signal that an action was repeated, continuous, or a habit. When you spot these words in a sentence, they "trigger" the imperfect tense:
Siempre = Always
Todos los días / cada día = Every day
Normalmente / Generalmente = Normally / Generally
A menudo = Often
Cuando era joven / pequeño/a = When I was young / little
Example sentence: Generalmente, comía con mi familia. (Generally, I used to eat with my family.)
Key Takeaway:
Words that show repetition or general habits (like siempre or todos los días) are your best clues to use the imperfect tense.
5. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Pitfall 1: Missing the Written Accents
Accent marks are vital in Spanish! Watch out for these two rules:
• In regular -ar verbs, only the nosotros form takes an accent: hablábamos.
• In regular -er / -ir verbs, EVERY single form has an accent on the letter í (comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían). Don't leave them out!
Pitfall 2: The "Yo" and "Él / Ella" Twin Match
Notice that the yo form and the él/ella form look identical in the imperfect tense (e.g., yo hablaba and él hablaba; yo comía and ella comía).
Tip: If it isn't completely obvious from the context who is doing the action, include the pronoun (like yo or él) so your meaning is crystal clear.
Pitfall 3: Imperfect vs. Preterite Confusion
Do not use the imperfect tense for a single, completed action that happened once and finished. For example, "I went to the shop yesterday" is a single completed action, so you must use the preterite tense (fui), not the imperfect (iba).
Pitfall 4: Over-relying on the Imperfect
Because the imperfect tense has very few irregulars and is easy to conjugate, students sometimes use it for every past event. Always ask yourself: "Is this a habit/description (imperfect), or a single completed event (preterite)?"
Quick Revision Checklist
Before your next assessment, check if you can:
• Explain the three main uses of the imperfect (habits, descriptions, ongoing actions).
• Add the -aba endings to regular -ar verbs.
• Add the -ía endings to regular -er and -ir verbs.
• Recite the three irregular verbs: ser, ir, and ver.
• Remember your accents on -ábamos and all -ía forms!