When do I use the Spanish imperfect tense?

Use imperfect for: habitual / repeated past actions (cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol), ongoing past actions (caminaba por el parque), background description (hacía frío), age / time / weather (tenía 10 años, eran las 3), mental / emotional states (sabía, quería, estaba contento).

How do I form the imperfect tense?

Highly regular. -ar verbs: add -aba endings (hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban). -er / -ir verbs: add -ía endings (comía / vivía, etc.). Only 3 irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).

What's the difference between imperfect and preterite?

Imperfect = ongoing / repeated / background (cuando era niño, iba al gym todos los días). Preterite = completed / single event (ayer fui al gym). Time markers help: siempre / todos los días → imperfect. ayer / anoche → preterite.

What signals imperfect tense?

Time markers: siempre, todos los días, cuando era niño, mientras, normalmente, a menudo, en aquel tiempo. Also: descriptions, age, time, weather, mental / emotional states in the past.

How can I master the imperfect tense?

Drill the endings (very regular, easy). Practice with contrastive pairs: single event (preterite) vs. habit / background (imperfect). Read past-tense Spanish stories and notice imperfect uses. Parrot's videos show natural past-tense storytelling.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Spanish Imperfect Tense: 50+ Examples by Use

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

The Spanish imperfect tense (hablaba, comía, vivía) describes ongoing or repeated past actions, background scenes, age, time, weather, mental / emotional states. It's the 'used to / would' past or 'was X-ing' past. 50+ examples across all its uses.

Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol.

When I was a kid, I played soccer.

What it is

The imperfect tense in Spanish (yo hablaba, comía, vivía) describes the past as ongoing, repeated, or background. It's the equivalent of English 'used to / would' (habit) and 'was X-ing' (ongoing).

Cuando era niño (imperfect, background description), jugaba al fútbol todos los días (imperfect, habit). Hacía sol (imperfect, weather) y los niños se reían (imperfect, ongoing).

How to spot it

Imperfect endings: -ar: -aba / -abas / -aba / -ábamos / -abais / -aban. -er / -ir: -ía / -ías / -ía / -íamos / -íais / -ían. Time markers: siempre, todos los días, cuando era niño, mientras, generalmente, en aquel tiempo, antes.

Hablaba español de niño. — I spoke Spanish as a kid.
Eran las tres. — It was three.
Llovía mucho. — It was raining a lot.

Only three irregular verbs in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía). Everyone else is regular. This makes imperfect one of the easiest tenses to learn.

Spanish Imperfect Tense Examples Quick Reference

Imperfect endings (regular)

Subject	-ar (hablar)	-er / -ir (comer / vivir)
yo	hablaba	comía / vivía
tú	hablabas	comías / vivías
él / ella / usted	hablaba	comía / vivía
nosotros	hablábamos	comíamos / vivíamos
vosotros	hablabais	comíais / vivíais
ellos / ellas / ustedes	hablaban	comían / vivían
Irregular: ser	era / eras / era / éramos / erais / eran	-
Irregular: ir	iba / ibas / iba / íbamos / ibais / iban	-
Irregular: ver	veía / veías / veía / veíamos / veíais / veían	-

Common Spanish Imperfect Tense Examples Examples in Spanish

Imperfect tense in real contexts:

Habits / Repeated Actions (Used To)

Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días.: As a kid, I played soccer every day.
Mi abuela cocinaba los domingos.: My grandma used to cook on Sundays.
Siempre íbamos a la playa en verano.: We always used to go to the beach in summer.
Estudiaba mucho en la universidad.: I used to study a lot in college.
Visitábamos a mis tíos cada Navidad.: We used to visit my uncles every Christmas.
Mis padres me llevaban al parque los fines de semana.: My parents would take me to the park on weekends.
De niño, leía mucho.: As a kid, I read a lot.

Habit / repeated action in past = imperfect. Translates as 'used to' or 'would' (habitually). Time markers: siempre, todos los días, cada año, cuando era niño.

Background Description / Setting

Hacía frío esa noche.: It was cold that night.
La casa era grande y blanca.: The house was big and white.
María tenía el pelo largo.: María had long hair.
El parque estaba lleno de gente.: The park was full of people.
El cielo estaba azul y despejado.: The sky was blue and clear.
Los niños jugaban felices.: The kids were playing happily.
La música sonaba en el fondo.: Music was playing in the background.

Description = imperfect. Sets the scene / background for what's about to happen. Often paired with preterite (the action in the foreground).

Age, Time, Weather, Date

Yo tenía 10 años cuando empezamos.: I was 10 when we started.
Eran las tres de la tarde.: It was 3 PM.
Hacía mucho calor.: It was very hot.
Era lunes cuando lo conocí.: It was Monday when I met him.
Mi madre tenía 30 años entonces.: My mom was 30 then.
Era invierno.: It was winter.
Estábamos en 2010.: We were in 2010.

Age, time, weather, date in the past = imperfect (never preterite). These describe ongoing states of the past, not events.

Mental / Emotional / Physical States

Sabía que era difícil.: I knew it was hard.
Pensaba mucho en ella.: I thought about her a lot.
Quería ir, pero no pude.: I wanted to go, but I couldn't.
Estaba muy contento.: I was very happy.
Tenía hambre y sed.: I was hungry and thirsty.
Creía que era verdad.: I believed it was true.
Sentía un poco de miedo.: I felt a little scared.

Mental, emotional, physical states in the past = imperfect. These describe ongoing inner states, not single events. Saber, pensar, querer, estar, tener, creer, sentir are common.

Ongoing Action (Was Doing)

Caminaba por el parque.: I was walking through the park.
Leía un libro cuando me llamaste.: I was reading a book when you called.
Estudiábamos para el examen.: We were studying for the exam.
Cocinaba la cena.: I was cooking dinner.
Hablaban en voz baja.: They were talking quietly.
Lloraba sin razón.: She was crying for no reason.
Trabajaba en una oficina.: I was working in an office.

Ongoing action in past (was X-ing) = imperfect. Equivalent to English progressive (was reading, was studying). Note: estar + gerund (estaba leyendo) is also possible for emphasis on the in-progress nature.

Imperfect + Preterite Together

Caminaba por el parque cuando vi al perro.: I was walking through the park when I saw the dog.
Llovía cuando salí de casa.: It was raining when I left home.
Mientras cocinaba, sonó el teléfono.: While I was cooking, the phone rang.
Estaba leyendo cuando llegaste.: I was reading when you arrived.
El sol brillaba cuando despertamos.: The sun was shining when we woke up.
Trabajaba en Madrid cuando conocí a mi esposa.: I was working in Madrid when I met my wife.
Mi madre cocinaba y mi padre miraba la TV.: My mom was cooking and my dad was watching TV.

Common storytelling pattern: imperfect describes ongoing background; preterite delivers the event that interrupts / advances. 'Imperfect + cuando + preterite' is the classic structure.

How to Form and Use the Imperfect

Formation: -aba (for -ar) and -ía (for -er / -ir)

-ar verbs: drop -ar, add -aba / -abas / -aba / -ábamos / -abais / -aban (hablaba). -er / -ir verbs: drop ending, add -ía / -ías / -ía / -íamos / -íais / -ían (comía / vivía). Highly regular.

hablaba, comía, vivía.

Two ending sets.

-aba (-ar), -ía (-er/-ir).

Only 3 Irregulars: Ser, Ir, Ver

Ser: era / eras / era / éramos / erais / eran. Ir: iba / ibas / iba / íbamos / ibais / iban. Ver: veía / veías / veía / veíamos / veíais / veían. Memorize these three.

ser > era. ir > iba. ver > veía.

Three irregulars only.

3 irregulars: ser/ir/ver.

Time Markers Signal Imperfect

Time markers that often signal imperfect: siempre, todos los días, cada día, cuando era niño, mientras, generalmente, en aquel tiempo, antes, normalmente, a menudo, frecuentemente.

siempre, todos los días, cuando era niño.

Time markers for imperfect.

Habit markers = imperfect.

Pair with Preterite for Storytelling

In narratives, imperfect describes background / setting / ongoing actions; preterite delivers the events that advance the story. Combining them is essential for natural Spanish past-tense storytelling.

Background (imperf.) + event (pret.).

Pair with preterite.

Imperf. background + pret. event.

Common Mistakes with Spanish Imperfect Tense Examples

Incorrect: Cuando era niño, fui al parque todos los días. — When I was a kid, I went to the park every day.

Correct: Cuando era niño, iba al parque todos los días. — When I was a kid, I went to the park every day.

Todos los días = habitual action → imperfect (iba). Preterite (fui) would mean 'I went once' which doesn't fit 'every day.'

Incorrect: Ayer estaba lloviendo y me quedé en casa. — Yesterday it was raining and I stayed home.

Correct: Ayer llovía y me quedé en casa. — Yesterday it was raining and I stayed home.

Simple imperfect (llovía) is sufficient and more natural for ongoing background weather. Estaba lloviendo isn't wrong but is less common in standard speech for this use.

Incorrect: Tuve diez años cuando empecé. — I was ten when I started.

Correct: Tenía diez años cuando empecé. — I was ten when I started.

Age in the past = imperfect (tenía), never preterite. Tuve diez años would mean 'I had ten years (for some period)' which is unnatural.

Imperfect Time Markers

Time Markers That Trigger Imperfect

When these expressions appear, imperfect is almost always the right choice: siempre (always), todos los días / lunes / años (every day / Monday / year), cada día (each day), mientras (while), generalmente (generally), normalmente (normally), a menudo (often), frecuentemente, en aquel tiempo (in those times), antes (before), cuando era niño (when I was a kid), mientras estaba en X (while I was in X).

Siempre comía pan en el desayuno.: I always ate bread for breakfast.
Todos los lunes íbamos al cine.: Every Monday we went to the movies.
Mientras leía, escuchaba música.: While I read, I listened to music.
Generalmente llegaba tarde.: Generally I'd arrive late.
En aquel tiempo, no había celulares.: Back then, there were no cell phones.
Antes vivíamos en Madrid.: Before, we lived in Madrid.

These markers signal habit, ongoing description, or background. If you see them in a sentence, imperfect is your default verb tense.

Spanish Imperfect Tense Examples FAQs

When do I use the Spanish imperfect tense?: Use imperfect for: habitual / repeated past actions (cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol), ongoing past actions (caminaba por el parque), background description (hacía frío), age / time / weather (tenía 10 años, eran las 3), mental / emotional states (sabía, quería, estaba contento).
How do I form the imperfect tense?: Highly regular. -ar verbs: add -aba endings (hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban). -er / -ir verbs: add -ía endings (comía / vivía, etc.). Only 3 irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).
What's the difference between imperfect and preterite?: Imperfect = ongoing / repeated / background (cuando era niño, iba al gym todos los días). Preterite = completed / single event (ayer fui al gym). Time markers help: siempre / todos los días → imperfect. ayer / anoche → preterite.
What signals imperfect tense?: Time markers: siempre, todos los días, cuando era niño, mientras, normalmente, a menudo, en aquel tiempo. Also: descriptions, age, time, weather, mental / emotional states in the past.
How can I master the imperfect tense?: Drill the endings (very regular, easy). Practice with contrastive pairs: single event (preterite) vs. habit / background (imperfect). Read past-tense Spanish stories and notice imperfect uses. Parrot's videos show natural past-tense storytelling.