Introduction to the Spanish imperfect

The idea

Regular -ar verbs use endings such as -aba and -ábamos: trabajábamos. Regular -er and -ir verbs use endings such as -ía and -íamos: leía, vivíamos. In cuando llegué, llovía, the rain provides background to an arrival.

Examples

• De niña vivía cerca del mar.As a child, I lived near the sea.
• Antes trabajábamos los sábados.We used to work on Saturdays.
• La casa era pequeña.The house was small.
• Cada tarde leía en el jardín.I used to read in the garden every afternoon.
• Cuando llegué, llovía.When I arrived, it was raining.
• ¿Cómo era tu escuela?What was your school like?

Watch out

The imperfect does not simply mean “long ago”: it describes how a past situation is viewed. Ser, ir and ver have irregular imperfect forms.

Try it yourself

1. Cuando éramos niños, nosotros ___ todos los sábados. (trabajábamos / trabajando)

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   trabajábamos

   Trabajábamos describes the repeated past habit for nosotros.

2. La casa ___ pequeña. (era / soy)

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   era

   Era is the imperfect form of ser for the house.

3. Cada tarde yo ___ en el jardín. (leía / leo)

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   leía

   Leía describes a repeated past reading habit.

Use it today

Describe a place from your childhood and one activity you used to do there.