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IndicativeA2
Imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)
For habitual or repeated past actions, plus descriptions, background, age, time and weather.
Usage
For habitual or repeated past actions, plus descriptions, background, age, time and weather.
Formation
Regular endings
| -ar | -er | -ir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -aba | -ía | -ía |
| tú (you) | -abas | -ías | -ías |
| él/ella (he/she) | -aba | -ía | -ía |
| nosotros (we) | -ábamos | -íamos | -íamos |
| vosotros (you, pl.) | -abais | -íais | -íais |
| ellos/ellas (they) | -aban | -ían | -ían |
Rules
51When to use it
For past habits, repeated actions, descriptions, background, and age, time and weather.
- De niño, hablaba mucho. — As a child, I talked a lot.past habit
- Llovía y hacía frío. — It was raining and cold.weather
2-ar verbs: -aba
-ar verbs take -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban.
- Hablábamos español en casa. — We spoke Spanish at home.
- Ella estaba cansada. — She was tired.description
3-er/-ir verbs: -ía
-er and -ir verbs share the same endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
- Comíamos juntos cada día. — We ate together every day.repeated
- Vivía cerca del mar. — I lived near the sea.
4Only ser, ir, ver irregular
Only ser (era), ir (iba) and ver are irregular; every other verb is regular.
- Era muy alto. — He was very tall.ser → era
- Íbamos al parque. — We used to go to the park.ir → iba
5No stem changes
The imperfect has no stem changes; even verbs like tener and querer stay regular.
- Yo tenía diez años. — I was ten years old.age
- Quería ser médico. — I wanted to be a doctor.
Examples
- Siempre hacía la tarea por la tarde. — I always did my homework in the afternoon.
- Eran las tres de la tarde. — It was three in the afternoon.
- Mis abuelos tenían una casa grande. — My grandparents had a big house.
- De pequeños, íbamos a la playa. — When we were little, we used to go to the beach.
Conjugate
Test
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