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More information »The preterite imperfect, also known as "imperfecto" or "pretérito imperfecto del indicativo", is another of the most commonly used verb tenses in Spanish to refer to past actions. Unlike the simple past (pretérito indefinido) which denotes actions completed in the past, the preterite imperfect is used to express actions that occurred habitually, repeatedly, enduringly or were in progress at a specific time in the past.
The preterite imperfect is used in various situations, such as describing habitual actions in the past, expressing the time in which an action occurred simultaneously with another in the past, narrating situations in the past, describing physical or mental characteristics in the past, among others. It is one of the most used verb tenses in narrations and descriptions in Spanish.
The formation of the imperfect is quite regular in Spanish for most verbs. The ending of verbs in -ar, -er and -ir is the same for most personal pronouns. Here is the imperfect conjugation for three regular verbs: "hablar" (verb -ar), "comer" (verb -er) and "vivir" (verb -ir):
Pronombre personal | Hablar | Comer | Vivir |
---|---|---|---|
Yo | hablaba | comía | vivia |
Tú | hablabas | comías | vivías |
Él / Ella / Usted | hablaba | comíamos | vivíamos |
Vosotros / Vosotras | hablabaís | comíais | vivíais |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hablaban | comían | vivían |
Pronombre personal | Ser | Ir | Ver |
---|---|---|---|
Yo | era | iba | veía |
Tú | eras | ibas | veías |
Él / Ella / Usted | era | iba | veía |
Vosotros / Vosotras | erais | ibais | veíais |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | eran | iban | veían |
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1. Habits or repetitive actions in the past: The imperfect is used to describe actions that occurred frequently or repeatedly in the past. For example:
"Every day I walked to the park."
2. Description of the setting or environment in the past: used to state the setting or situation at a specific time in the past. For example:
"It was a sunny day and the birds were singing."
3. Ages and times in the past: The imperfect is also used to express someone's age or time in the past. For example:
"When I was a child, I was five years old."
"It was five o'clock in the afternoon."
4. Physical and emotional descriptions in the past: To describe what someone was like physically or how they felt in the past, we use the imperfect. For example:
"I was tall and had black hair."
"I felt happy back then."
5. Actions in progress in the past: The imperfect can also indicate actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past. For example:
"While I was eating, I watched TV".
It is common for students of Spanish to find it difficult to differentiate between the preterite and the imperfect, as both are past tenses. The main distinction lies in how the actions are focused:
For example, consider these two sentences:
Temporal markers are words or phrases that usually accompany the imperfect and provide temporal context. Examples of temporal markers for the imperfect are:
Temporary marker | Example sentences |
---|---|
Siempre | Siempre iba en la bici a la escuela. |
Todos los días | Todos los días caminaba 20 minutos para llegar al trabajo. |
Cada semana | Cada semana visitaba a la abuela. |
Mientras | Mientras corría en el parque, me encontré con un amigo. |
De niño | De niño no me gustaban los vegetales. |
En aquella época | En aquella época las cosas se hacían de manera diferente. |
A menudo | A menudo conducía a la universidad. |
Cada año | Cada año viajábamos a un país nuevo para conocer nuevas culturas. |
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