Pretérito Imperfecto (Past Imperfect)
Master the Spanish past imperfect tense. Learn regular and irregular conjugations, main uses for background descriptions and habits, and how it differs from the preterite.
The Spanish Imperfect Tense
The Pretérito Imperfecto is one of the two main past tenses in Spanish. While the Pretérito Indefinido (Preterite) is used for completed, one-time actions in the past, the Imperfect is your paint brush—used to set the scene, describe ongoing states, describe habits, express time/age, and talk about emotions in the past.
1. Regular Conjugations
📝 -AR Verbs
For -AR verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add -aba endings. Note that only the nosotros form has an accent mark (on the first 'a').
✏️ -ER / -IR Verbs
For both -ER and -IR verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add -ía endings. Every single ending in this group has a written accent mark on the 'í'!
Conjugation Chart:
| Subject | cantar (-AR) | comer (-ER) | vivir (-IR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | cantaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | cantabas | comías | vivías |
| él / ella / usted | cantaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros / nosotras | cantábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | cantabais | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | cantaban | comían | vivían |
2. Only 3 Irregular Verbs!
✨ The Good News
One of the best features of the imperfect tense is that it has **only three irregular verbs** in the entire Spanish language! Once you memorize these three, you can conjugate any verb in the imperfect.
The Irregulars:
| Subject | ser (to be) | ir (to go) | ver (to see) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era | iba | veía |
| tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| él / ella / usted | era | iba | veía |
| nosotros / nosotras | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | erais | ibais | veíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | eran | iban | veían |
3. Key Uses of the Imperfect
🔄 1. Habitual & Repeated Actions
Things you used to do regularly in the past. (Equivalent to "used to" or "would" in English).
"De niño, yo jugaba en el parque todos los días." (As a child, I played/used to play in the park every day).
🖼️ 2. Descriptions (Scene Setting)
Describing people, weather, locations, and conditions in the past.
"La casa era enorme y hacía mucho frío." (The house was huge and it was very cold).
🕒 3. Time, Age, and States of Mind
Telling time, stating age, or describing emotional/mental states in the past.
"Eran las tres cuando llegó. Yo tenía diez años y me sentía feliz." (It was three o'clock when he arrived. I was ten years old and felt happy).
⏳ 4. Ongoing Action (Background)
An action that was in progress when another action interrupted it.
"Yo estudiaba cuando me llamaste." (I was studying when you called me).
Ponte a Prueba
Reto 1: Completa con el Imperfecto
Puntuación: 0/10Choose the correct conjugation of the verb in the past imperfect tense.
Reto 2: ¿Pretérito o Imperfecto?
Puntuación: 0/6Contenido Exclusivo Premium
Unlock our advanced Preterite vs. Imperfect practice challenge to master past narratives.
Ver Planes Premium