What is the imperfect of ser in Spanish?

Era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Fully irregular. Used for ongoing past states, identity, description, age, time. Era estudiante = I was a student.

What's the difference between era and fui?

Era (imperfect) = ongoing past state, background. Fui (preterite) = bounded / completed state. Era estudiante cuando me casé (imperfect, background). Fui estudiante por tres años (preterite, bounded).

Why is the imperfect of ser irregular?

Historically, ser inherits its irregular imperfect from Latin esse (to be). Only three Spanish imperfects are irregular: ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other verb follows the regular pattern.

How do I say it was X o'clock in Spanish?

Use imperfect of ser: Era la una (It was 1:00) or Eran las tres (It was 3:00). Same singular / plural rule as present (Es la una / Son las tres), but in imperfect for past time.

How can I master the imperfect of ser?

Memorize the six irregular forms as a unit. Practice in background-setting contexts (Era de noche cuando..., Eran las cinco cuando...). Native input through Parrot videos cements when to choose era over fui.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Imperfect of Ser: Era, Eras, Era, Conjugation and Use

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

The imperfect of ser is one of only three irregular imperfects: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Used for ongoing past descriptions, identity, age, and time references.

Era estudiante en Madrid.

I was a student in Madrid.

What it is

The imperfect of ser is one of only three irregular imperfects in Spanish: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Used for ongoing past descriptions, identity, age, occupation, characteristics, time. Era (no accent) means I/he/she/it was. Éramos (with accent on é) means we were.

Era estudiante en Madrid cuando lo conocí (I was a student in Madrid when I met him), ongoing past identity, background for another event.

How to spot it

Look for era, eras, éramos, erais, eran. The first three forms (era, eras, era) often appear in descriptions of past states.

Era alto. — He was tall.
Eras simpática. — You were nice.
Éramos amigos. — We were friends.

Imperfect ser describes ongoing past states, what was. Preterite ser (fui) describes bounded / completed states. Choose based on whether the state is being described as ongoing background or as a finished event.

Imperfect of Ser Quick Reference

Imperfect of ser, fully irregular

Person	Form	Translation
yo	era	I was
tú	eras	you were
él/ella/Ud.	era	he/she/it was
nosotros	éramos	we were
vosotros	erais	you all were (Spain)
ellos/ellas/Uds.	eran	they were

Common Imperfect of Ser Examples in Spanish

The imperfect of ser in real Spanish contexts:

Ongoing Past Identity / Role

Era estudiante en aquella época.: I was a student back then.
Era médico antes de jubilarse.: He was a doctor before retiring.
Éramos vecinos.: We were neighbors.

Use imperfect for past identities / roles that lasted over time.

Past Descriptions (Appearance, Personality)

Era alta y rubia.: She was tall and blonde.
Era una persona muy amable.: He was a very kind person.
Eran simpáticos.: They were nice.

Default for past descriptions, appearance, personality, lasting traits.

Past Time / Age

Eran las tres cuando llegué.: It was three o'clock when I arrived.
Tenía cinco años cuando empecé.: I was five when I started.
Era invierno.: It was winter.

Use imperfect of ser for telling past time. Use tener for age (Tenía X años).

Background for Another Event

Era estudiante cuando me casé.: I was a student when I got married.
Era de noche cuando llamó.: It was night when he called.

Imperfect sets the scene; preterite (cuando me casé, cuando llamó) describes the interrupting event.

How to Use the Imperfect of Ser

Memorize the Six Irregular Forms

Imperfect of ser is fully irregular. Era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Only éramos carries an accent (on the é).

Era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran.

I was, you were, he/she was, we were, you all were, they were.

Ser is one of only three irregular imperfects, alongside ir (iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban) and ver (veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían).

Use for Ongoing Past States

Imperfect of ser describes states that were ongoing in the past, no clear start or end. Identities, descriptions, ages, times.

Era estudiante. Era amable. Eran las tres.

I was a student. He was kind. It was three o'clock.

If the description has no clear bounded duration, use imperfect. If it's bounded (por tres años, hace cinco años), use preterite.

Set Backgrounds for Other Events

Imperfect provides the SCENE; preterite shows the action that happened within it.

Era de noche cuando salimos. Era joven cuando aprendí a nadar.

It was night when we left. I was young when I learned to swim.

Common pattern: imperfect (background) + cuando + preterite (event).

Distinguish from Preterite (Fui)

Imperfect (era) = ongoing past state. Preterite (fui) = bounded / completed past state.

Era estudiante cuando me casé. (imperfect, background) Fui estudiante por tres años. (preterite, bounded)

I was a student when I got married. I was a student for three years.

Choose imperfect for ongoing past description. Choose preterite for completed states with clear duration.

Common Mistakes with Imperfect of Ser

Incorrect: Yo seía estudiante. — I was a student.

Correct: Yo era estudiante. — I was a student.

Ser has the IRREGULAR imperfect era. Don't apply the regular -ía endings (seía), those wouldn't make sense anyway.

Incorrect: Era estudiante por tres años. — I was a student for three years.

Correct: Fui estudiante por tres años. — I was a student for three years.

When the state has a specific bounded duration (por X años), use preterite (fui), not imperfect (era).

Incorrect: Eramos amigos. (missing accent) — We were friends.

Correct: Éramos amigos. — We were friends.

Nosotros form carries an accent on the é: éramos. Without it, the word is misspelled.

Three Irregular Imperfects: Ser, Ir, Ver

Only Three Imperfects Are Irregular

Spanish imperfect is overwhelmingly regular, only three verbs have irregular imperfects: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).

ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran.: I was...
ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban.: I went...
ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían.: I saw...

Every other verb follows the standard imperfect pattern (-aba for -ar verbs, -ía for -er / -ir verbs).

Time, Weather, Age in Imperfect

Imperfect of ser handles past time (Eran las tres), and pairs with hacía for past weather (Hacía frío) and tener for past age (Tenía cinco años).

Eran las cinco cuando llegamos.: It was five o'clock when we arrived.
Hacía calor ese día.: It was hot that day.
Tenía siete años en la foto.: I was seven years old in the photo.

These three constructions (time, weather, age) almost always use imperfect for past background.

Imperfect of Ser FAQs

What is the imperfect of ser in Spanish?: Era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. Fully irregular. Used for ongoing past states, identity, description, age, time. Era estudiante = I was a student.
What's the difference between era and fui?: Era (imperfect) = ongoing past state, background. Fui (preterite) = bounded / completed state. Era estudiante cuando me casé (imperfect, background). Fui estudiante por tres años (preterite, bounded).
Why is the imperfect of ser irregular?: Historically, ser inherits its irregular imperfect from Latin esse (to be). Only three Spanish imperfects are irregular: ser (era), ir (iba), and ver (veía). Every other verb follows the regular pattern.
How do I say it was X o'clock in Spanish?: Use imperfect of ser: Era la una (It was 1:00) or Eran las tres (It was 3:00). Same singular / plural rule as present (Es la una / Son las tres), but in imperfect for past time.
How can I master the imperfect of ser?: Memorize the six irregular forms as a unit. Practice in background-setting contexts (Era de noche cuando..., Eran las cinco cuando...). Native input through Parrot videos cements when to choose era over fui.