Imperfect Tense in Spanish

Overview

The imperfect tense, or pretérito imperfecto, is the second main past tense in Spanish, and it serves a completely different purpose from the preterite. While the preterite narrates completed events, the imperfect paints the background: it describes what things were like, what used to happen regularly, and what was going on when something else occurred. It is the tense of habits, descriptions, and ongoing states in the past.

At the CEFR A2 level, learning the imperfect dramatically expands your ability to talk about the past. Without it, you can only list completed events. With it, you can set the scene, describe how things used to be, and tell richer, more nuanced stories. Best of all, the imperfect is one of the most regular tenses in Spanish -- there are only three irregular verbs.

How It Works

Regular conjugations

Subject	-AR (hablar)	-ER (comer)	-IR (vivir)
yo	hablaba	comía	vivía
tú	hablabas	comías	vivías
él/ella/usted	hablaba	comía	vivía
nosotros/as	hablábamos	comíamos	vivíamos
vosotros/as	hablabais	comíais	vivíais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	hablaban	comían	vivían

Notice: -er and -ir verbs share the same imperfect endings, and the yo and él/ella forms are identical.

The only three irregular verbs

Subject	ser	ir	ver
yo	era	iba	veía
tú	eras	ibas	veías
él/ella/usted	era	iba	veía
nosotros/as	éramos	íbamos	veíamos
vosotros/as	erais	ibais	veíais
ellos/ellas/ustedes	eran	iban	veían

That is it -- every other verb is regular in the imperfect.

When to use the imperfect

Use	Example	English equivalent
Habitual past actions	Siempre comía a las dos.	I always used to eat at two.
Descriptions in the past	Hacía buen tiempo.	The weather was nice.
Ongoing states	Vivíamos en Madrid.	We lived/were living in Madrid.
Age in the past	Cuando tenía diez años...	When I was ten years old...
Time in the past	Eran las tres.	It was three o'clock.
Background for another action	Dormía cuando llamaste.	I was sleeping when you called.
Emotional/physical states	Estaba cansado.	I was tired.
Polite requests (softening)	Quería preguntarte algo.	I wanted to ask you something.

Key time markers

Spanish	English
siempre	always
todos los días	every day
a menudo	often
a veces	sometimes
de niño/a	as a child
cuando era joven	when I was young
en aquella época	at that time
normalmente	normally
cada verano	every summer

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Cuando era niño...	When I was a child...	description, ser irregular
Hacía buen tiempo.	The weather was nice.	description
Vivíamos en Madrid.	We used to live in Madrid.	habitual state
Siempre comía a las dos.	I always used to eat at two.	habitual action
Iba al colegio todos los días.	I went to school every day.	habitual, ir irregular
Tenía muchos amigos.	I had many friends.	ongoing state
Eran las tres de la tarde.	It was three in the afternoon.	time
Mi abuela cocinaba muy bien.	My grandmother cooked very well.	habitual
De niño, jugaba en el parque.	As a child, I played in the park.	habitual
Quería pedirte un favor.	I wanted to ask you a favor.	polite softening

Common Mistakes

Using the imperfect for completed single events

• Wrong: Ayer comía pizza. (as a completed event)
• Right: Ayer comí pizza.
• Why: A single completed event at a specific time uses the preterite. The imperfect would only be correct if you mean "I was eating pizza (when something else happened)."

Forgetting that yo and él/ella forms are identical

• Note: Hablaba can mean "I spoke" or "he/she spoke." Context or a subject pronoun clarifies: Yo hablaba vs. Ella hablaba.

Using the wrong tense for age

• Wrong: Cuando tuve diez años...
• Right: Cuando tenía diez años...
• Why: Age is an ongoing state, not a completed event. Always use the imperfect for age in the past.

Confusing imperfect and preterite for weather

• Wrong: Hizo buen tiempo toda la semana. (when describing ongoing background weather)
• Right: Hacía buen tiempo toda la semana.
• Why: If the weather is background description, use the imperfect. The preterite (hizo) implies a completed period, often with a specific focus.

Usage Notes

The imperfect is used consistently across all varieties of Spanish -- there are no significant regional differences in how it is formed or when it is used. This makes it one of the most stable and reliable tenses to learn. The main challenge is not the forms (which are almost entirely regular) but knowing when to choose the imperfect over the preterite, which is covered in detail in the "Preterite vs Imperfect" concept.

Practice Tips

• Describe your childhood. Write or say five sentences about what life was like when you were young: Vivía en..., iba al colegio..., mi madre cocinaba..., tenía un perro..., jugaba con mis amigos... The imperfect is the natural tense for these memories.

• Set the scene for a story. Before telling a preterite narrative, practice building the background: Era un día de verano. Hacía calor. La gente caminaba por la calle. Los pájaros cantaban. All imperfect, all description.

• Use the polite softening. In everyday conversation, practice quería, podía, necesitaba as polite alternatives to the present tense: Quería preguntarte algo instead of Quiero preguntarte algo.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Preterite (Indefinido) -- Learn the other main past tense first
• Next steps: Preterite vs Imperfect -- Master the crucial distinction between the two past tenses
• Next steps: Indirect Speech -- The imperfect is key for reporting what someone said