To talk about things that happened in the past in Spanish, we use something called the imperfect tense.

It’s really important to know when and how to use it.

Let’s compare it to another tense called the preterite, which we use for actions that are finished.

1. When to Use the Imperfect Tense

You should use the imperfect tense in these situations:

• Ongoing Actions: These are actions that were happening over time.

  • Example: Yo estaba leyendo un libro. (I was reading a book.)

• Habitual Actions: These are actions that happened regularly in the past.

  • Example: Siempre iba a la playa en verano. (I always went to the beach in summer.)

• Physical and Emotional States: This is when we talk about feelings or how someone was.

  • Example: Ella estaba feliz. (She was happy.)

2. Imperfect Conjugation Rules

To change regular verbs into the imperfect tense, use these endings:

• For -ar Verbs, use: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban

  • For example: hablar (to talk)
    • Yo hablaba (I was talking)
    • Tú hablabas (You were talking)

• For -er Verbs, use: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían

  • For example: comer (to eat)
    • Yo comía (I was eating)
    • Tú comías (You were eating)

• For -ir Verbs, use the same endings as -er verbs.

  • For example: vivir (to live)
    • Yo vivía (I was living)
    • Tú vivías (You were living)

3. Common Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

Here are three verbs that don’t follow the regular rules in the imperfect tense:

• Ir (to go)

  • Yo iba
  • Tú ibas
  • Él/Ella/Usted iba
  • Nosotros íbamos
  • Vosotros ibais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes iban

• Ser (to be)

  • Yo era
  • Tú eras
  • Él/Ella/Usted era
  • Nosotros éramos
  • Vosotros erais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes eran

• Ver (to see)

  • Yo veía
  • Tú veías
  • Él/Ella/Usted veía
  • Nosotros veíamos
  • Vosotros veíais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes veían

4. Using the Imperfect vs. Preterite

When you talk about past events, remember that the imperfect gives background information.

The preterite tells us about specific events.

For example:

• Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol. (When I was a child, I played soccer.) – This shows an ongoing action with the imperfect.

• Ayer jugué al fútbol. (Yesterday, I played soccer.) – This tells about a specific completed action in the preterite.

5. Put It Into Practice

Now it’s your turn!

Try making sentences using both the imperfect and preterite tenses!

• Describe things you did when you were a child.
• Share a story using both ongoing actions (imperfect) and completed actions (preterite).

Doing this will help you understand how to talk about past actions in Spanish!