-AR Verbs (Ej: Hablar)
| Yo | hablaba |
| Tú | hablabas |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | hablaba |
| Nosotros | hablábamos |
| Vosotros | hablabais |
| Ellos/Uds. | hablaban |
Spanish Imperfect Tense
Pretérito Imperfecto
The Spanish Imperfect Tense is used to describe past habits, ongoing actions, repeated events, background information, and situations without a clear beginning or end.
Quick Tip
Use the Imperfect to talk about what things were like or what used to happen, not completed actions. If an action has no specific ending or is part of the background of a story, the Imperfect is usually the correct choice.
Formación / Formation
-ER / -IR Verbs (Ej: Comer/Vivir)
| Yo | comía / vivía |
| Tú | comías / vivías |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | comía / vivía |
| Nosotros | comíamos / vivíamos |
| Vosotros | comíais / vivíais |
| Ellos/Uds. | comían / vivían |
Irregular Verbs (Only 3!)
| Pronoun | Ser | Ir | Ver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | era | iba | veía |
| Tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| Él/Ella/Ud. | era | iba | veía |
| Nosotros/as | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| Vosotros/as | erais | ibais | veíais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | eran | iban | veían |
OJO! “Was” does not map to one Spanish verb
In English, I was and it was can look simple. In Spanish, the correct imperfect form depends on the meaning: era, estaba, tenía, or hacía. Clock time is another important case: Eran las dos means It was two o’clock.
Identity or life stage → ser
Cuando era niño, vivía en Madrid.
When I was a child, I lived in Madrid.
Age → tener
Cuando tenía cinco años, vivía con mis abuelos.
When I was five years old, I lived with my grandparents.
State or condition → estar
Estaba cansado.
I was tired.
Weather → hacer
Hacía frío.
It was cold.
Cuándo Usar / When to Use
Habitual Actions
Actions that happened regularly in the past.
De niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días.
As a child, I used to play soccer every day.
Ongoing Actions
Actions that were in progress or interrupted by another.
Estudiaba cuando llamaste.
I was studying when you called.
Descriptions
Background info: people, places, weather, feelings.
Hacía frío y el cielo estaba nublado.
It was cold and the sky was cloudy.
Identity, Age & Past States
English “was” can require different Spanish verbs depending on the idea.
Cuando era niño, vivía en Madrid.
When I was a child, I lived in Madrid.
Cuando tenía cinco años, vivía con mis abuelos.
When I was five years old, I lived with my grandparents.
Practice Present + Imperfect Together
The new practice activity is designed to help you switch between the present and the imperfect according to context, instead of practicing the imperfect in isolation.
Fill in the blanks
Listen to Spanish
Present vs. imperfect
Use it after this guide to practice forms such as tengo / tenía, es / era, está / estaba and other high-frequency contrasts in complete sentences.
Start the Present + Imperfect Fill-in QuizExpresiones con Imperfecto
Common Daily Expressions
- Siempre me levantaba temprano. I always used to get up early.
- No solía tener ganas de salir. I usually didn’t feel like going out.
- Me daba igual lo que pasaba. I didn’t care what was happening.
- Nos veíamos cada semana. We used to see each other every week.
- Ella estaba cansada todo el tiempo. She was tired all the time.
Less-Known & Important
- Me costaba entender las matemáticas. It was hard for me to understand math.
- Me daba cuenta de que algo iba mal. I could tell that something was going wrong.
- Lo pasábamos bien en verano. We used to have a good time in summer.
- Se suponía que era fácil. It was supposed to be easy.
- Me parecía interesante la historia. History seemed interesting to me.
Diferencia Clave / Key Difference
Imperfecto
Uso: Contexto, hábito, descripción sin fin claro.
"Siempre comíamos juntos."
(We always ate together.)
Pretérito Indefinido
Uso: Acción puntual, específica y terminada.
"Ayer comimos juntos."
(Yesterday we ate together.)