The imperfect: what things were like

Use the imperfect tense to say what you used to do and to describe what things were like in the past.

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Endings

-er and -ir verbs share the same endings. The yo and él / ella forms are the same, so use a pronoun if it is not clear.
Pronoun-ar: jugar-er: comer-ir: vivir
yojugabacomíavivía
tújugabascomíasvivías
él / ella / ustedjugabacomíavivía
nosotros / nosotrasjugábamoscomíamosvivíamos
vosotros / vosotrasjugabaiscomíaisvivíais
ellos / ellas / ustedesjugabancomíanvivían

Only three irregulars

ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían
Había = there was / there were (from haber, the past of hay).

Imperfect or preterite?

Imperfect: what used to happen, or a description: Cuando era pequeño, jugaba en el parque. La playa era bonita y hacía sol.
Preterite: a single, completed action: Ayer fui a la playa.
They often go together: Hacía sol cuando llegamos. = It was sunny (description) when we arrived (one action).
Worked example

Translate: When I was ten, I lived in Madrid and I used to go to school by bus.

  1. When I was ten: cuando tenía diez años (tener for age, imperfect).
  2. I lived in Madrid: vivía en Madrid (a situation that lasted).
  3. and I used to go to school by bus: e iba al colegio en autobús. Y changes to e before a word starting with i.

Answer: Cuando tenía diez años, vivía en Madrid e iba al colegio en autobús.

Key idea

Imperfect: -aba endings for -ar verbs, -ía endings for -er and -ir verbs. Irregular: era, iba, veía. Use it for used to and for descriptions; use the preterite for single completed actions.

Common mistakes
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Extra practice

2 more questions

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  1. What is the yo imperfect form of hablar?

    1. hablé
    2. hablaba
    3. hablaría
    4. hablo
    Show the answer

    Answer: hablaba

    -ar: -aba.

  2. Complete: Cuando era pequeño, ___ (comer, yo) mucho chocolate.

    1. comía
    2. comí
    3. como
    4. comaba
    Show the answer

    Answer: comía

    -er: -ía.

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Sources and references

Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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