Imperfect Indicative in Catalan

Overview

The imperfect indicative (imperfet d'indicatiu) is the past tense used to describe habitual actions, ongoing states, and background descriptions in the past. While the periphrastic past tells you what happened (completed events), the imperfect tells you what was happening, what used to happen, or what things were like. This distinction is essential at the B1 level.

The imperfect is formed with a consistent set of endings added to the verb stem. Catalan has very few irregular verbs in the imperfect — practically only ser (era) and fer (feia) — making this one of the most regular tenses in the language.

In storytelling and narration, the imperfect provides the backdrop against which events (in the periphrastic past) take place: Plovia quan vaig sortir (It was raining when I went out). Understanding this interplay between past tenses is a hallmark of B1 proficiency.

How It Works

Imperfect Conjugation

Person	-ar (cantar)	-er/-re (beure)	-ir (dormir)
jo	cantava	bevia	dormia
tu	cantaves	bevies	dormies
ell/ella	cantava	bevia	dormia
nosaltres	cantàvem	bevíem	dormíem
vosaltres	cantàveu	bevíeu	dormíeu
ells/elles	cantaven	bevien	dormien

Irregular Imperfects

Verb	jo	tu	ell	nosaltres	ells
ser	era	eres	era	érem	eren
fer	feia	feies	feia	fèiem	feien

When to Use the Imperfect

Use	Example
Habitual past	Quan era petit, jugava al carrer. (When I was little, I used to play in the street.)
Background description	Plovia molt aquell dia. (It was raining a lot that day.)
Ongoing state	Vivíem a Girona. (We used to live in Girona.)
Physical/emotional description	Ella tenia els ulls blaus. (She had blue eyes.)
Time in the past	Eren les tres de la tarda. (It was three in the afternoon.)
Polite request (softened)	Volia demanar-te un favor. (I wanted to ask you a favor.)

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Quan era petit, jugava al carrer.	When I was little, I used to play in the street.	Habitual past
Plovia molt aquell dia.	It was raining a lot that day.	Background
Vivíem a Girona.	We used to live in Girona.	Ongoing state
Ella tenia els ulls blaus.	She had blue eyes.	Description
Mentre dormia, va sonar el telèfon.	While I was sleeping, the phone rang.	Background + event
No sabia què fer.	I didn't know what to do.	Mental state
Cada estiu anàvem a la platja.	Every summer we used to go to the beach.	Repeated habitual
Feia molt de fred aquell hivern.	It was very cold that winter.	Weather description
Eren les vuit quan va arribar.	It was eight when he/she arrived.	Time
Abans treballava en una oficina.	I used to work in an office.	Former habit

Common Mistakes

Using the imperfect for completed events

• Wrong: Ahir cantava una cançó. (when you mean a single completed action)
• Right: Ahir vaig cantar una cançó.
• Why: The imperfect describes habitual or ongoing actions, not single completed events. Use the periphrastic past for completed actions.

Confusing imperfect and periphrastic past in narratives

• Wrong: Plovia quan sortia de casa. (both imperfect — no event)
• Right: Plovia quan vaig sortir de casa. (background + event)
• Why: The imperfect sets the scene; the periphrastic past advances the action. Mixing them correctly is key to natural narration.

Regularizing "ser" in the imperfect

• Wrong: Jo seria petit. (that's the conditional!)
• Right: Jo era petit.
• Why: The imperfect of ser is era/eres/era/érem/éreu/eren, not the conditional series.

Usage Notes

The imperfect is used across all registers and dialects of Catalan without significant variation. It is one of the most consistent tenses in the language. In formal writing, you may see the imperfect used more extensively for descriptions, while spoken Catalan sometimes uses it with a polite softening function: Volia preguntar-te... (I wanted to ask you...) sounds softer than Vull preguntar-te... (I want to ask you...).

Practice Tips

1. Describe your childhood using the imperfect: "Quan era petit/a, vivia a... Anava a l'escola... Jugava amb... M'agradava..."
2. Practice the scene-setting pattern: "Era un dia de pluja. Feia fred. No hi havia ningú al carrer. De sobte, vaig veure..."
3. Compare the same situation in both tenses: "Cada dia anava al parc" (habitual, imperfect) vs. "Ahir vaig anar al parc" (completed, periphrastic past).

Related Concepts

• Periphrastic Past — the complementary past tense for completed events
• Past Tense Contrast — detailed comparison of all past tenses
• Reported Speech — the imperfect in indirect speech