The Imperfect Tense in Spanish
El pretérito imperfecto
Test yourself with a quick quizThe imperfect (hablaba) describes the past as ongoing: what used to happen, what was happening and what things were like. It sets the scene, while the preterite tells what happened.
How to Form the Imperfect
Drop -ar, -er or -ir and add the ending. -er and -ir verbs share the same endings. The yo and él/ella forms are identical, so add the subject when it isn't clear.
| Subject | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| tú | hablabas | comías | vivías |
| él/ella/usted | hablaba | comía | vivía |
| nosotros/as | hablábamos | comíamos | vivíamos |
| vosotros/as | hablabais | comíais | vivíais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaban | comían | vivían |
- There are no stem changes: pensaba, dormía, quería.
- Only nosotros has an accent in -ar verbs: hablábamos.
- All -er and -ir forms have an accent on the í.
The Three Irregular Verbs
Only ser, ir and ver are irregular. Ver just keeps the e of its stem. Había (there was, there were) comes from haber and is always singular.
| Subject | ser | ir | ver |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | era | iba | veía |
| tú | eras | ibas | veías |
| él/ella/usted | era | iba | veía |
| nosotros/as | éramos | íbamos | veíamos |
| vosotros/as | erais | ibais | veíais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | eran | iban | veían |
When to Use the Imperfect
Use it for habits, descriptions and background. Words like siempre, todos los días, cada verano, a menudo, de pequeño and mientras often go with it.
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Past habits | De pequeño jugaba al fútbol todos los días. | As a child I played football every day. |
| Descriptions | La casa era grande y tenía jardín. | The house was big and had a garden. |
| Time and age | Eran las ocho y yo tenía diez años. | It was eight o'clock and I was ten. |
| Actions in progress | Mientras cocinaba, escuchaba la radio. | While I was cooking, I was listening to the radio. |
| States and feelings | Estábamos muy cansados. | We were very tired. |
| Polite requests | Quería pedirle un favor. | I wanted to ask you a favour. |
Test yourself
5 quick questions on this lesson. How many can you get right?
Choose the right answer.
Imperfect vs Preterite
The preterite (hablé) presents an action as finished, often at a specific moment. The imperfect shows it as ongoing or repeated, without a clear end. In a story, the imperfect is the background and the preterite is the event that interrupts it.
| Contrast | Imperfect | Preterite |
|---|---|---|
| Habit vs one time | Iba a la playa cada verano. | Fui a la playa el verano pasado. |
| Scene vs event | Hacía sol. | De repente empezó a llover. |
| In progress vs completed | Leía un libro. | Leí el libro entero. |
Verbs That Change Meaning
Some verbs mean a state in the imperfect but a single event in the preterite.
| Verb | Imperfect | Meaning | Preterite | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| conocer | conocía | knew (someone) | conocí | met for the first time |
| saber | sabía | knew (a fact) | supe | found out |
| querer | no quería | didn't want | no quise | refused |
| poder | podía | was able to | pude | managed to |
Common Mistakes
These are the errors learners make most often.
- Using -aba with -er and -ir verbs: say comía, not 'comaba'.
- Forgetting the accents: comía, vivíamos, íbamos.
- Treating ver as regular: say veía, not 'vía'.
- Using the preterite for time and age: say eran las tres and tenía veinte años.
- Using the imperfect for a finished event: say ayer fui al médico, not 'ayer iba al médico'.
- Making había plural: say había muchas personas, not 'habían muchas personas'.