the Spanish imperfect

when to use it

Use it for habits in the past, for descriptions, and for anything that was already going on when something else happened. Weather, age, time, feelings and what a place looked like are all imperfect, which makes it the tense that sets a scene.

Words that tend to sit with it: antes, cuando era pequeño, todos los veranos, mientras

• cuando era pequeño, jugaba en el parque ~ when I was little, I used to play in the park
• hacía sol y la gente paseaba ~ it was sunny and people were strolling

how to build it

Remove the -ar / -er / -ir, then add the ending.

one verb from each group

The three regular patterns side by side, so the only thing changing between columns is the group the verb belongs to.

what goes wrong

Using it for a finished event because the event lasted a while. Length has nothing to do with it - if the action is over, it is the preterite.

Three verbs, in the whole language. Ser gives era, ir gives iba, ver gives veía. Everything else takes -aba or -ía without argument, which is why this is the tense to be confident in.

common questions

what are the imperfect endings in Spanish?

-ar verbs take -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. -er and -ir verbs share -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. There are no other patterns to learn.

which verbs are irregular in the Spanish imperfect?

Three, in the whole language: ser gives era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran; ir gives iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban; and ver gives veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían. Every other Spanish verb follows the regular pattern.