Spanish grammar · Intermediate
Spanish Imperfect Tense: Conjugation, Uses, and Examples
The Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes ongoing past states, habits, and background scenes without defined endpoints. -ar endings: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. -er/-ir endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Only three irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).
Hablaba español de niño.
I used to speak Spanish as a kid.
What it is
The Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes ongoing past states, habits, descriptions, and background scenes, no defined endpoints. -ar endings: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. -er/-ir share endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Only three irregulars: ser (era), ir (iba), ver (veía).
In Hablaba español de niño (I used to speak Spanish as a kid), hablaba is the regular -ar imperfect. De niño signals an ongoing past state, imperfect territory.
How to spot it
Look for: cuando era niño, siempre, todos los días, mientras, descriptive past sentences. Imperfect often translates to English used to or was X-ing.
- Cuando era niña, jugaba en el parque. — When I was a kid, I played in the park.
- Eran las tres cuando llegó. — It was three o'clock when he arrived.
- Mientras estudiaba, sonó el teléfono. — While I was studying, the phone rang.
Background scene = imperfect (eran las tres). Specific event = preterite (llegó). The combination is a Spanish past-tense signature.
Spanish Imperfect Tense Quick Reference
Spanish imperfect, regular endings by verb type
| Person | -ar (hablar) | -er (comer) | -ir (vivir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | hablabas | comías | vivías |
| él/ella/Ud. | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros | hablábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros | hablabais | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos/Uds. | hablaban | comían | vivían |
Common Spanish Imperfect Tense Examples in Spanish
Imperfect covers habits, descriptions, ongoing states, and background scenes:
Past Habits / Routines
- Iba al gimnasio todos los días.
- I used to go to the gym every day.
- De niños, jugábamos al fútbol.
- As kids, we used to play soccer.
- Siempre llegaba tarde.
- She always arrived late.
Look for todos los días, siempre, nunca, cada, habit markers.
Descriptions / Background
- Hacía frío y llovía.
- It was cold and raining.
- La casa era pequeña y antigua.
- The house was small and old.
- Estaban contentos.
- They were happy.
Imperfect paints the scene, weather, descriptions, emotions, conditions.
Age / Time / Weather (Past)
- Tenía diez años.
- I was ten years old.
- Eran las cinco de la tarde.
- It was five in the afternoon.
- Hacía calor ese día.
- It was hot that day.
Age, time of day, weather in the past, always imperfect, never preterite.
Ongoing Action Interrupted
- Comía cuando llegaste.
- I was eating when you arrived.
- Dormíamos cuando sonó la alarma.
- We were sleeping when the alarm went off.
- Leía mientras esperaba.
- I was reading while I waited.
Background ongoing action (imperfect) interrupted by event (preterite), classic combo.
How to Form the Spanish Imperfect
Regular -ar Verbs
Drop -ar, add -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban. Hablar → hablaba, hablabas, hablaba, hablábamos, hablabais, hablaban.
Yo hablaba español. Nosotros hablábamos cada noche.
I used to speak Spanish. We used to talk every night.
Nosotros carries an accent: hablábamos.
Regular -er and -ir Verbs (Same Endings)
Both share: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían. Comer → comía. Vivir → vivía. All forms carry accents on í.
Comía pan cada mañana. Vivíamos en Chile.
I used to eat bread every morning. We used to live in Chile.
All -er and -ir imperfect forms carry accents on the í (avoid the hiatus collapsing).
Only Three 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.
Era niño. Iba al colegio. Veía a mis abuelos.
I was a kid. I went to school. I used to see my grandparents.
Only these three. Every other Spanish verb forms its imperfect regularly.
Yo and Él/Ella Look Identical
Regular imperfect has identical yo and él/ella forms (hablaba, comía, vivía). Subject pronouns are sometimes needed to disambiguate.
Yo hablaba con María. Él hablaba con María.
I was talking with María. He was talking with María.
If context isn't clear, add yo / él / ella explicitly.
Common Mistakes with Spanish Imperfect Tense
Incorrect: Ayer comía pizza. — Yesterday I ate pizza. (wrong, defined event needs preterite)
Correct: Ayer comí pizza. — Yesterday I ate pizza.
Ayer marks a specific completed event → preterite (comí). Imperfect (comía) would imply ongoing or habitual past, doesn't fit ayer.
Incorrect: Cuando era niño, fui al parque todos los días. — When I was a kid, I went to the park every day. (wrong, habit needs imperfect)
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 signals a habit → imperfect (iba). Preterite (fui) would mean one specific trip, contradicting the habit marker.
Incorrect: Tení diez años. — I was ten years old. (wrong, missing accent on í)
Correct: Tenía diez años. — I was ten years old.
All -er and -ir imperfect forms carry accents on the í, tenía, comía, vivía. Required in writing.
Imperfect Forms, Quick Reference
Regular imperfect endings plus the three irregulars (ser, ir, ver).
Regular -ar (Hablar)
-ar imperfect endings.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Yo and él/ella identical. Accent only on nosotros (hablábamos).
Regular -er (Comer)
-er imperfect endings.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
All forms carry accents on í.
Regular -ir (Vivir)
Identical to -er.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
-er and -ir share imperfect endings completely.
Irregulars (Ser, Ir, Ver)
Only three irregular verbs in the imperfect.
| ser yo |
| ser nosotros |
| ir yo |
| ir nosotros |
| ver yo |
| ver nosotros |
Memorize these three families, every other verb is regular.
Background + Event Pattern
Mientras / Cuando, Background + Event
Spanish frequently combines imperfect (background scene) with preterite (event that broke into it). Mientras X-ía, Y-ó. Cuando Y-ó, X-ía.
- Mientras estudiaba, sonó el teléfono.
- While I was studying, the phone rang.
- Cuando llegué, ya estaban comiendo.
- When I arrived, they were already eating.
- Llovía cuando salimos.
- It was raining when we left.
The imperfect sets the stage (mientras estudiaba); the preterite reports the moment (sonó). This combo is a Spanish signature.
Habit Broken by Event
An ongoing habit (imperfect) can be ended by a specific decision (preterite).
- Iba al gimnasio todos los días, pero dejé de ir.
- I used to go to the gym every day, but I stopped going.
- Vivíamos en Madrid cuando decidimos mudarnos.
- We were living in Madrid when we decided to move.
Imperfect = the long-running habit. Preterite = the decision / event that changed it.
Spanish Imperfect Tense FAQs
- What is the Spanish imperfect tense and when do you use it?
- The Spanish imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes ongoing past states, habits, descriptions, age / time / weather, and background scenes, no defined endpoints. Used for I used to X / I was X-ing in English.
- How do you conjugate regular verbs in the imperfect?
- -ar verbs: -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban (hablaba, hablabas, hablaba...). -er and -ir verbs share: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían (comía / vivía). All -er/-ir forms carry accents on í.
- Which verbs are irregular in the Spanish imperfect?
- Only three: ser → era, ir → iba, ver → veía. Every other Spanish verb forms its imperfect regularly, making this one of the easiest tenses in Spanish.
- What's the difference between imperfect and preterite?
- Imperfect = ongoing past state / habit / background (Cuando era niño, jugaba). Preterite = completed past event (Ayer jugué al fútbol). The imperfect describes the setting; the preterite reports the action.
- How can I get better at the Spanish imperfect?
- Exposure to native speakers telling past-tense stories is the fastest path, they naturally alternate imperfect (descriptions) and preterite (events). Parrot's daily videos feature both tenses in real conversations.