Imperfect in SpanishA2

The imperfect places a past action within a time that is already closed, but without presenting its beginning or its end. The perspective stays in the course, in the repetition, or in the state that lasted. That is why it appears in habits, descriptions, and actions that were in progress. In narration, it usually coexists with the Pretérito, which marks a complete and punctual event.

The imperfect is used for past customs: things that happened many times or in a habitual way. The sentence does not present a single completed action, but a routine. That is why it works with expressions like always, often, every day, as a child or before. When I was small, I used to go to the park after class; on Sundays we ate at my grandmother's house; before I studied at night.

Repeated habits in the past

Usage	Explanation
Frequent routine	Use the imperfect when una acción se repetía in the past without mentioning every occasion.
Strange habit	Use the imperfect for past habits even if today they sound strange or funny.
Habitual activity	Use the imperfect to describe something someone did regularly during a period of their life.

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The imperfect paints the setting of a past story. It serves to say how someone or something was at that moment: appearance, age, weather, time, mood, size, and other stable or temporary characteristics. The house was old and dark; it was cold; Maria was six years old; everyone was nervous. These descriptions do not advance the action, they surround it.

Descriptions and states in narratives

Usage	Explanation
Appearance and mood	Use the imperfect to describe how a person, a place, or a scene was in the past.
Weather and context	Use the imperfect to talk about the weather or the background of a story.
Age and emotion	Use the imperfect to indicate age, feelings, or states that lasted in the past.

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When an action was developing in the past, the imperfect presents it as a process. It doesn't matter that it ended later; at that moment it was in progress. It often appears with another punctual action in Pretérito. I was reading when the phone rang; they were having dinner while I was setting the table; the movie was starting and the room was silent. The imperfect forms the continuous background of the scene.

Actions in development as background

Usage	Explanation
Background action	Use the imperfect when an action was in progress and serves as a backdrop for another.
Ongoing process	Use the imperfect to show that something continued advancing at the narrated moment.
Narrative ambiance	Use the imperfect to paint a developing scene before something new happens.

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Two actions in the imperfect can happen at the same time. Also, an action in the imperfect can be interrupted by a punctual event in pretérito. While my brother studied, I was listening to music shows two parallel processes. We were walking downtown when it started to rain presents one action in progress and another that interrupts it. The imperfect keeps the process open; the pretérito marks the cut.

Past simultaneity and interruption

Usage	Explanation
Two actions at the same time	Use the imperfect for simultaneous actions that were progressing together in the past.
Interrupted action	Use the imperfect for the action that was in progress when another stopped or changed it.
Backdrop	Use the imperfect for the main activity that continued while something else happened in the background.

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The imperfect presents duration, repetition, or background. The pretérito presents a closed, complete event or one with a clear limit. I lived in Seville describes a duration; I lived in Seville for two years presents the period as a finished block. Every afternoon I ran indicates habit; yesterday I ran five kilometers points to a concrete event. It was late describes the state; it became late marks the change. To see the contrast in context, it also helps to review Pretérito and Presente simple.

Contrast between imperfect and preterite

Idea
Use the imperfect for actions without a clear end and the preterite for closed or finished actions.
Use the imperfect for habits or repetition and the preterite for a punctual fact.
Use the imperfect for the process and the preterite for the result or the abrupt change.

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The -ar verbs form the imperfect by adding these endings to the stem: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -aban. In hablar, the stem is habl- and the forms are hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablaban. The only clear person marker appears in -abas, -ábamos and -aban; the first, second, and third person singular share -aba. Examples: trabajaba, trabajabas, trabajábamos, miraban.

Regular imperfect conjugation

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	comer	comía
tú	comer	comías
él ella usted	comer	comía
nosotros nosotras	comer	comíamos
ellos ellas ustedes	comer	comían

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The -er verbs use the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían. In comer, the stem is com- and the full forms are comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comían. These endings are added directly to the stem without changes in the root. They are read the same in many verbs: bebía, aprendías, corríamos, vendían. The first and third person singular coincide in -ía.

Regular imperfect conjugation

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	vivir	vivía
tú	vivir	vivías
él ella usted	vivir	vivía
nosotros nosotras	vivir	vivíamos
ellos ellas ustedes	vivir	vivían

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The -ir verbs have the same endings as -er: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían. In vivir, the stem is viv- and the forms are vivía, vivías, vivía, vivíamos, vivían. They also appear with other verbs like escribía, abrías, salíamos, subían. The conjugation is regular and does not change the stem.

Regular imperfect conjugation

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	vivir	vivía
tú	vivir	vivías
él ella usted	vivir	vivía
nosotros nosotras	vivir	vivíamos
ellos ellas ustedes	vivir	vivían

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Three verbs use very common irregular forms in the imperfect: ser gives era, eras, era, éramos, eran; ir gives iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, iban; ver gives veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veían. Ser and ir share the same irregular stem er- / ir- in era and iba. Ver adds -ía to a special stem ve- and keeps the accent on the form. These forms appear all the time in everyday narratives: era tarde, íbamos al colegio, veíamos la televisión.

Common irregular forms

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	ser	era
yo	ir	iba
yo	ver	veía
tú	ser	eras
tú	ir	ibas
tú	ver	veías

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Some verbs change nuance depending on whether they appear in imperfect or pretérito. Saber in the imperfect expresses knowledge or a mental state in progress: sabía la respuesta. In pretérito, supe often indicates the moment when the information was obtained. Querer in the imperfect expresses desire, intention, or courtesy: quería hablar contigo. In pretérito, quise can signal an attempt or a specific decision. Poder in the imperfect says that something was possible or that someone had the ability: podía abrir la puerta. In pretérito, pude marks the concrete achievement of that action.