10.2.1: Gramática — Read — Invisible Network

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I. Usos del imperfecto

In 9.2 and 9.4 you have learned how to talk about completed past actions with the preterit tense - these actions have a clear start or end point in time or were one time occurrences.

Spanish has another verb form to talk about past actions called the imperfect, or el imperfecto. The imperfect is used to discuss past habits or routines - things you did habitually in the past. In English, we commonly use expressions like I used to... or I would... to talk about these past actions that occurred frequently.

These two forms can be used together - take a look at Lou Lou´s hobbies as a child: "Cuando era pequeña me gustaba preparar pasteles con mi tía, de la cual aprendí mucho...."

me gustaba	I used to like...	habitual - when she was a child (during her childhood)
aprendí	I learned....	one time action - learning a new skill from her aunt

Nota

Learning how to use both the preterit and imperfect forms together takes practice - for now, ask yourself simple questions to help determine which form to use.

Is this a one time past action? (preterit)
Does the action have a clear start or finish? (preterit)
Is this a habitual past action? (imperfect)

II. Conjugaciones regulares del imperfecto

To form the imperfect tense, follow the patterns for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs below:

Los verbos de -AR en el imperfecto

Llevar (to wear)
yo	llevaba	I used to wear
tú	llevabas	You (informal) used to wear
él, ella, usted	llevaba	He/she used to wear, You (formal) used to wear
nosotros(as)	llevábamos	We used to wear
vosotros(as)	llevabais	y´all used to wear (informal: Spain)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	llevaban	they used to wear, You all used to wear (plural)

Los verbos de -ER/-IR en el imperfecto

Vestir (to wear)
yo	vestía	I used to wear
tú	vestías	You (informal) used to wear
él, ella, usted	vestía	He/she used to wear, You (formal) used to wear
nosotros(as)	vestíamos	We used to wear
vosotros(as)	vestíais	y´all used to wear (informal: Spain)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	vestían	they used to wear, You all used to wear (plural)

III. Conjugaciones irregulares

There are only 3 irregular verbs in the imperfect tense to commit to memory!

Ser (to be)
yo era	nosotros(as) éramos
tú eras	vosotros(as) erais
él, ella, usted era	ellos, ellas, ustedes eran

Ir (to go)
yo iba	nosotros(as) íbamos
tú ibas	vosotros(as) ibais
él, ella, usted iba	ellos, ellas, ustedes iban

Ver (to see)
yo veía	nosotros(as) veíamos
tú veías	vosotros(as) veíais
él, ella, usted veía	ellos, ellas, ustedes veían

IV. Expresiones que indican el imperfecto

There are some expressions that will help you identify when to use the imperfect tense because they suggest repeated, or habitual, actions.

Expresiones de tiempo para usar con el imperfecto
siempre	always
todos los días/años	every day, every year
con frecuencia	frequently
a menudo	often
normalmente	normally
generalmente	generally
a veces	sometimes
nunca	never
cuando era niño(a)...	when I was a child....

What other frequency expressions can you think of that would indicate a habitual past action?

This page titled 10.2.1: Gramática was last modified on Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:41:59 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Amanda Hadley and Kelsey Harper.

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