Spanish Imperfect Tense: Conjugation Trainer & Practice
The Imperfect Tense (Pretérito Imperfecto) is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, background, descriptions, and states.
- Past habits: De pequeño jugaba al fútbol (As a child I used to play football)
- Description and context: El cielo estaba azul, hacía calor (The sky was blue, it was hot)
- Simultaneous actions: Mientras ella cocinaba, él leía (While she was cooking, he was reading)
Regular Verbs
Endings
| Person | -ar | -er / -ir |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | -aba | -ía |
| tú (you) | -abas | -ías |
| él / ella (he/she) | -aba | -ía |
| nosotros (we) | -ábamos | -íamos |
| vosotros (you all) | -abais | -íais |
| ellos (they) | -aban | -ían |
Examples: -ar (hablar — to speak, trabajar — to work)
| hablar | trabajar | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | trabajaba |
| tú | hablabas | trabajabas |
| él / ella | hablaba | trabajaba |
| nosotros | hablábamos | trabajábamos |
| vosotros | hablabais | trabajabais |
| ellos | hablaban | trabajaban |
Examples: -er / -ir (comer — to eat, vivir — to live)
| comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comía | vivía |
| tú | comías | vivías |
| él / ella | comía | vivía |
| nosotros | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos | comían | vivían |
Irregular Verbs
In the Imperfect, only three verbs are irregular: ser, ir and ver. All other Spanish verbs conjugate regularly.
Ser (to be)
- Yo era alto (I was tall).
- Tú eras mi amigo (You were my friend).
- Él / Ella era profesor (He/She was a teacher).
- Nosotros éramos jóvenes (We were young).
- Ellos eran felices (They were happy).
Ir (to go)
- Yo iba al colegio (I used to go to school).
- Tú ibas al mercado (You used to go to the market).
- Él / Ella iba al cine (He/She used to go to the cinema).
- Nosotros íbamos de vacaciones (We used to go on holiday).
- Ellos iban a Madrid (They used to go to Madrid).
Ver (to see)
- Yo veía la película (I was watching the movie).
- Tú veías a tus amigos (You used to see your friends).
- Ellos veían el paisaje (They were seeing the landscape).
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