EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO REGULAR VERBS -AR -ER/-IR yo tú él/ella/ud. nosotros/as vosotros/as ellos/as/uds. -aba -abas -ábamos -abais -aban -ía -ías -íamos -íais -ían
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO REGULAR VERBS AR ER IR HABLAR TENER VIVIR (yo) (tú) (él, ella, usted) (nosotros/as) (vosotros/as) (ellos, ellas, ustedes) hablaba tenía vivía hablabas tenías vivías = hablaba tenía vivía hablábamos teníamos vivíamos hablabais teníais vivíais hablaban tenían vivían
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO IRREGULAR VERBS SER IR VER (yo) (tú) (él, ella, usted) (nosotros/as) (vosotros/as) (ellos, ellas, ustedes) era iba veía eras ibas veías era iba veía éramos íbamos veíamos erais ibais veíais eran iban veían
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR Actions that were repeated habitually in the past. Past actions that are not seen as completed. Giving background information which sets the stage for the principal action. Telling time and stating one's age. Describing how things were or what things were like. Simultaneous actions. Indicating a state of mind or feelings, rather than a change of state of mind
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR Actions that were repeated habitually in the past. To determine if a verb is actually the imperfect, try substituting one of the following: was/were ...ing used to ... would (meaning used to) ... The following examples show how to use this substitution test for the imperfect: Trabajaba en la agencia durante el día. I was working in the agency during the day. Visitaba a mi abuela cada día. I used to visit my grandmother every day. Todas las tardes me echaba una siesta. Every afternoon I would take a nap.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR 2. Past actions that are not seen as completed. Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a definite end. The imperfect tells when -- in general, an action occurred. Examples: Antes en Málaga llovía mucho. Before it rained a lot in Málaga. Había mucha gente en Mikkeli. There were a lot of people in Mikkeli. Antes nunca hablaba español. Before I never used to speak/ spoke Spanish.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR Giving background information which sets the stage for the principal action. Examples: Era un día muy bonito, no hacía calor y había una brisa muy fresca. It was a very nice day, it wasn't hot and there was a very fresh breeze. Todos estábamos preocupados por el examen: Adolfo sudaba, Gabriel repasaba su tarea y Lupe no podía dejar de hablar. We were all nervous about the exam: Adolfo was sweating, Gabriel was reviewing his homework, and Lupe couldn't stop talking.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR 4. Telling time and stating one's age. Examples: Eran las dos de la tarde. It was two o‘clock in the afternoon. En 1990 tenía veinte años. In 1990 I was twenty years.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR 5. Describing how things were or what things were like. Use the imperfect when describing the characteristics of people, things or conditions. Examples: Era un muchacho muy inteligente. He was a very intelligent boy. Era una señorita muy guapa. She was a beautiful young lady. Las ventanas estaban abiertas. The windows were open. La casa era blanca. The house was white.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR 6. Simultaneous actions. Examples: Mientras pescaban, hablaban del partido de fútbol. While they were fishing they talked about the soccer game. Cuando comían, veían la tele. When they ate, they used to watch TV.
EL PRETÉRITO IMPERFECTO USED FOR 7. Indicating a state of mind or feelings, rather than a change of state of mind Examples: No me sentía bien. I didn't feel well. No sabíamos quien era. We didn't know who it was. Estaban muy enojados. They were very angry.