The Spanish imperfect tense is your key to describing actions that were ongoing or habitual in the past. Regular -IR verbs, with their consistent conjugation pattern, complete the trio of regular verb types in this tense. Let’s dive in!
The Simple Conjugation Pattern
Conjugating regular -IR verbs in the imperfect tense is straightforward. Just follow these two easy steps:
- Drop the -ir: Remove the -ir ending from the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., vivir becomes viv).
- Add the imperfect ending: Attach the appropriate ending based on the subject pronoun:
| Subject Pronoun | Ending | Example: vivir (to live) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | -ía | Yo vivía |
| Tú | -ías | Tú vivías |
| Él/ella/usted | -ía | Él/ella/usted vivía |
| Nosotros/nosotras | -íamos | Nosotros/nosotras vivíamos |
| Vosotros/vosotras | -íais | Vosotros/vosotras vivíais |
| Ellos/ellas/ustedes | -ían | Ellos/ellas/ustedes vivían |
Pro Tip: The conjugation pattern for -IR verbs in the imperfect tense is identical to -ER verbs. All forms have an accent mark on the ‘í’, except for the vosotros/as form.
Common -IR Verbs You’ll Encounter
To get you started, here are some of the most common -IR verbs you’ll use in the imperfect tense:
- vivir (to live)
- escribir (to write)
- abrir (to open)
- recibir (to receive)
- subir (to go up, to upload)
- describir (to describe)
- decidir (to decide)
- sufrir (to suffer)
- existir (to exist)
- permitir (to allow)
Examples in Action
Now that you know the pattern and some common verbs, let’s see them in action:
- “Yo vivía en Madrid cuando era estudiante.” (I used to live in Madrid when I was a student.)
- “Ellos escribían cartas a sus amigos cada semana.” (They used to write letters to their friends every week.)
- “Nosotros subíamos la montaña todos los veranos.” (We used to climb the mountain every summer.)
- “¿Tú recibías muchos regalos en tu cumpleaños?” (Did you use to receive many gifts on your birthday?)
- “Los niños abrían sus regalos mientras sus padres los grababan.” (The children were opening their gifts while their parents were recording them.)
Remember, the imperfect tense is all about describing ongoing or habitual actions in the past. With regular -IR verbs, you’ve now got all three types of regular verbs covered in this essential Spanish tense!
Synonyms:
- English: Reguar -ir verbs in Past Continuous, Imperfect Progressive, Imperfect Continuous
- Spanish: Verbos Regulares en -IR en Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, Pretérito Progresivo, Pasado Progresivo, Pretérito Continuo