Imperfect Tense Spanish Grammar | Regular & Irregular Verbs

Overview / Usage

The imperfect tense describes ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions in the past. Unlike the preterite which focuses on completed actions, the imperfect paints a picture of how things "used to be" or what "was happening" in the past.

⏰ Imperfect: Ongoing Past Actions

The imperfect is like a video camera showing ongoing scenes from the past, while the preterite is like a photograph capturing completed moments.

English Examples:
"I was walking to school"
"She used to study every day"
"They were living in Madrid"

Spanish Examples:
"Caminaba a la escuela"
"Estudiaba todos los días"
"Vivían en Madrid"

The imperfect is used for descriptions of the past, habitual actions, ongoing states, and to set the scene for other past events.

Structure & Formation

📋 Regular Imperfect Conjugation Patterns

The imperfect tense has very regular patterns and fewer irregular verbs than most other tenses. The endings are consistent and predictable, making it one of the easier Spanish tenses to master.

-AR Verbs

hablar → habl-
Add: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban

-ER/-IR Verbs

comer/vivir → com-/viv-
Add: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían

🔑 Key Pattern Points:

-ER and -IR verbs share the same imperfect endings (just like in the preterite!)
Accent marks on -ER/-IR forms: All forms except nosotros need accents
No stem changes: Imperfect uses the infinitive stem throughout
Very few irregular verbs: Only ser, ir, and ver are irregular

Regular -AR Verbs: hablar (to speak)

Singular	Plural
yo hablaba I was speaking / used to speak	nosotros hablábamos we were speaking / used to speak
tú hablabas you were speaking / used to speak	vosotros hablabais you all were speaking / used to speak
él/ella hablaba he/she was speaking / used to speak	ellos/ellas hablaban they were speaking / used to speak

Regular -ER Verbs: comer (to eat)

Singular	Plural
yo comía I was eating / used to eat	nosotros comíamos we were eating / used to eat
tú comías you were eating / used to eat	vosotros comíais you all were eating / used to eat
él/ella comía he/she was eating / used to eat	ellos/ellas comían they were eating / used to eat

Regular -IR Verbs: vivir (to live)

Singular	Plural
yo vivía I was living / used to live	nosotros vivíamos we were living / used to live
tú vivías you were living / used to live	vosotros vivíais you all were living / used to live
él/ella vivía he/she was living / used to live	ellos/ellas vivían they were living / used to live

🚨 Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect

Good news! The imperfect tense has only three irregular verbs. This makes it much easier to master than other Spanish tenses.

ser (to be)

era, eras, era
éramos, erais, eran

ir (to go)

iba, ibas, iba
íbamos, ibais, iban

ver (to see)

veía, veías, veía
veíamos, veíais, veían

Irregular Verb: ser (to be)

Singular	Plural
yo era I was / used to be	nosotros éramos we were / used to be
tú eras you were / used to be	vosotros erais you all were / used to be
él/ella era he/she was / used to be	ellos/ellas eran they were / used to be

Irregular Verb: ir (to go)

Singular	Plural
yo iba I was going / used to go	nosotros íbamos we were going / used to go
tú ibas you were going / used to go	vosotros ibais you all were going / used to go
él/ella iba he/she was going / used to go	ellos/ellas iban they were going / used to go

Irregular Verb: ver (to see)

Singular	Plural
yo veía I was seeing / used to see	nosotros veíamos we were seeing / used to see
tú veías you were seeing / used to see	vosotros veíais you all were seeing / used to see
él/ella veía he/she was seeing / used to see	ellos/ellas veían they were seeing / used to see

Examples

🎯 When to Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect has several specific uses that help you paint detailed pictures of past situations and ongoing actions.

🔄 Habitual Past Actions

Cuando era niño

When I was a child

Siempre comía

I always used to eat

⏱️ Ongoing Past Actions

Mientras estudiaba

While I was studying

En aquella época

In those days

📚 Complete Story Example

Here's how the imperfect helps tell stories about the past:

Cuando vivía en Madrid

When I lived in Madrid

siempre desayunaba café

I always used to have coffee for breakfast

Íbamos al parque

We used to go to the park

todos los domingos

every Sunday

Mi abuela cocinaba

My grandmother used to cook

platos deliciosos

delicious dishes

⚡ Common Time Expressions with Imperfect

These phrases often signal that you should use the imperfect tense:

Todos los días

Every day

De pequeña

As a little girl

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

⚠️ Common Mistakes with Imperfect

Confusing imperfect with preterite: Use imperfect for ongoing/habitual actions, preterite for completed actions
Forgetting accent marks: -ER/-IR verbs need accents on all forms except nosotros (comía, comías, comía, comíamos, comíais, comían)
Using wrong stem: Always use the infinitive stem, no stem changes in imperfect
Irregular verb confusion: Only ser, ir, and ver are irregular - don't make other verbs irregular

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

Useful Resources

Coming soon...

Imperfect Tense: Regular and Irregular