Pretérito Imperfecto
The pretérito imperfecto is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, background descriptions, and actions without a specific beginning or end. While the preterite emphasizes completed actions, the imperfect paints the backdrop of the story, describing what was happening, what used to happen, or what things were like.
Good news! The imperfect tense is one of the easiest tenses to conjugate in Spanish. There are only three irregular verbs, and the patterns are very consistent.
| Pronoun | -AR verbs | -ER/-IR verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | -aba | -ía |
| Tú | -abas | -ías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -aba | -ía |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | -ábamos | -íamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | -abais | -íais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -aban | -ían |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | hablaba |
| Tú | hablabas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hablaba |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | hablábamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | hablabais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablaban |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | comía |
| Tú | comías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | comía |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | comíamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | comíais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | comían |
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | vivía |
| Tú | vivías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vivía |
| Nosotros/Nosotras | vivíamos |
| Vosotros/Vosotras | vivíais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vivían |
Important: The conjugation of the imperfect tense is very easy! There are only 3 irregular verbs in the entire language. However, the real challenge isn't conjugation—it's knowing when to use the imperfect versus the preterite. This is one of the most difficult topics in Spanish grammar and requires practice, repetition, and exposure to different contexts.
These are the only three verbs with irregular conjugations in the imperfect tense:
| Yo | era |
| Tú | eras |
| Él/Ella/Usted | era |
| Nosotros | éramos |
| Vosotros | erais |
| Ellos/Ustedes | eran |
| Yo | iba |
| Tú | ibas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | iba |
| Nosotros | íbamos |
| Vosotros | ibais |
| Ellos/Ustedes | iban |
| Yo | veía |
| Tú | veías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | veía |
| Nosotros | veíamos |
| Vosotros | veíais |
| Ellos/Ustedes | veían |
Understanding when to use the imperfect is crucial. Here are the three main situations where you'll use it:
Just like "used to" in English, the imperfect describes actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past.
Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol todos los días.
When I was a child, I used to play soccer every day.
Mis abuelos siempre nos visitaban los domingos.
My grandparents always used to visit us on Sundays.
Like "was/were doing" in English, the imperfect describes actions that were in progress in the past. This is especially important for parallel actions happening at the same time.
Yo leía mientras ella cocinaba.
I was reading while she was cooking.
Llovía cuando salimos de casa.
It was raining when we left home.
¿Qué hacías a las 8 de la noche?
What were you doing at 8 PM?
The imperfect is used to describe how things were, what they looked like, ages, time, weather, emotions, and mental states in the past. It sets the scene.
La casa era grande y tenía un jardín bonito.
The house was big and had a beautiful garden.
Ella tenía 20 años y era muy alegre.
She was 20 years old and was very cheerful.
Hacía frío y el cielo estaba nublado.
It was cold and the sky was cloudy.
Why This Topic Needs Extra Attention: The imperfect vs. preterite distinction is one of the most challenging aspects of Spanish for English speakers. While the conjugations are easy, knowing when to use each tense requires deep understanding of how Spanish speakers think about past actions. We strongly recommend working with a tutor on this topic. A good tutor can provide personalized explanations, correct your mistakes in real-time, and give you the repetition and different perspectives you need to truly internalize these concepts. This is not something you can master from a textbook alone—it requires practice, conversation, and feedback.
This is one of those topics where a tutor makes all the difference. Let us help you find someone who can guide you through the nuances and give you the practice you need to feel confident.