Introduction to Imperfect Conjugation Flashcards
yo
-ar Verbs
-aba
yo
-er and -ir Verbs
-ía
tú
-ar Verbs
-abas
tú
-er and -ir Verbs
-ías
él, ella, usted
-ar Verbs
-aba
él, ella, usted
-er and -ir Verbs
-ía
nosotros
-ar Verbs
-ábamos
nosotros
-er and -ir Verbs
-íamos
vosotros
-ar Verbs
-abais
vosotros
-er and -ir Verbs
-íais
ellos, ellas, ustedes
-ar Verbs
-aban
ellos, ellas, ustedes
-er and -ir Verbs
-ían
yo
to go (ir), to be (ser), to see (ver)
iba, era, veía
tú
to go, to be, to see
ibas, eras, veías
él, ella, usted
to go, to be, to see
iba, era, veía
nosotros
to go, to be, to see
íbamos, éramos, veíamos
vosotros
to go, to be, to see
ibais, erais, veíais
ellos, ellas, ustedes
to go, to be, to see
iban, eran, veían
Habitual or Repeated Actions
Habitual or repeated actions are those that were done over and over in the past. These are often things a person used to or would do.
Almorzábamos cada día.
We used to eat lunch together every day.
Todos los sábados las mujeres iban de compras.
Every Saturday the ladies would go shopping.
Actions that Were in Progress in the Past
It’s quite common to see the imperfect used to talk about something that was happening, when something else occurred. It’s also used for actions that continued in the past for an unspecified period of time. The action in progress is in the imperfect, while the interrupting action is in the preterite.
Iba a clase cuando sonó el teléfono.
I was going to class when the telephone rang.
Mi papá cocinaba cuando entré a casa.
My dad was cooking when I came in the house.
A veces le dolían las manos y las piernas.
Sometimes her hands and feet ached.
Times and Dates
The imperfect is used to talk about times and dates in the past.
Eran las tres de la tarde.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon.
Era el 9 de mayo.
It was May 9th.
Age
The imperfect is commonly used to talk about age in the past.
La niña tenía 4 años.
The little girl was 4 years old.
Los perros tenían dos años cuando los adopté.
The dogs were two years old when I adopted them.
Descriptions of Characteristics, Conditions, and Feelings
The imperfect is used to give descriptions in the past, especially those that set the scene in terms of the senses.
Mi profesor era alto y tenía el pelo ondulado.
My professor was tall and had wavy hair.
El campo era bello.
The countryside was beautiful.
Hacía calor esa noche.
It was hot that night.
Me sentía feliz con mi trabajo nuevo.
I was happy with my new job.
Quería mudarme a otro país.
I wanted to move to another country.
