The Spanish language offers you a rich tapestry of verb tenses, and among these, the Spanish imperfect tense stands as a crucial storytelling tool. This tense lets you paint vivid pictures of ongoing past actions and describe how things “used to be.” Let’s explore how this fascinating tense works and when you should use it.
How It Works
The good news? The imperfect tense is one of Spanish’s most regular forms. For regular verbs, you’ll simply add these endings to the verb stem:
For -AR verbs (like hablar → habl-):
- yo: -aba (hablaba)
- tú: -abas (hablabas)
- él/ella/usted: -aba (hablaba)
- nosotros: -ábamos (hablábamos)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: -aban (hablaban)
For -ER/-IR verbs (like comer → com-, vivir → viv-):
- yo: -ía (comía, vivía)
- tú: -ías (comías, vivías)
- él/ella/usted: -ía (comía, vivía)
- nosotros: -íamos (comíamos, vivíamos)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes: -ían (comían, vivían)
Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect:
- ser (era, eras, era, éramos, eran)
- ir (iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, iban)
- ver (veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veían)
When to Use It
The Spanish imperfect tense shines in these key situations:
- Ongoing Past Actions
- “Mientras cocinaba, sonó el teléfono” (While I was cooking, the phone rang)
- “Leía un libro cuando entró mi hermana” (I was reading a book when my sister came in)
- “Dormía profundamente cuando empezó la tormenta” (I was sleeping deeply when the storm began)
- Habitual Past Actions
- “Cuando era pequeño, jugaba en el parque” (When I was little, I used to play in the park)
- “Siempre tomaba café por las mañanas” (I always used to drink coffee in the mornings)
- “Los domingos visitábamos a mis abuelos” (On Sundays we would visit my grandparents)
- “En la universidad, estudiaba hasta tarde” (In university, I used to study late)
- Past Descriptions
- “El cielo estaba azul y hacía calor” (The sky was blue and it was hot)
- “La casa tenía ventanas grandes” (The house had big windows)
- “El perro era negro con manchas blancas” (The dog was black with white spots)
- “El jardín olía a rosas” (The garden smelled of roses)
- Time and Age
- “Eran las tres de la tarde” (It was three in the afternoon)
- “Tenía 20 años cuando nos conocimos” (I was 20 years old when we met)
- “Era verano en Madrid” (It was summer in Madrid)
- “Faltaban cinco minutos para la clase” (There were five minutes left until class)
- Mental or Physical States
- “Se sentía mal” (She was feeling sick)
- “Estaba cansado” (He was tired)
- “Tenía hambre todo el tiempo” (I was hungry all the time)
- “Mi hermana estaba enamorada” (My sister was in love)
- “No sabía la respuesta” (I didn’t know the answer)
- Background Information
- “La ciudad estaba llena de turistas” (The city was full of tourists)
- “Hacía mucho frío ese día” (It was very cold that day)
- “El restaurante servía comida italiana” (The restaurant served Italian food)
- “Nadie sabía su secreto” (Nobody knew their secret)
Real-Life Examples
The Spanish imperfect tense brings stories to life:
“Cuando vivía en Madrid, trabajaba en un café. Todos los días me levantaba temprano y caminaba al trabajo. La ciudad estaba siempre llena de vida: los pájaros cantaban, los coches pasaban, y la gente hablaba en las terrazas.“
(When I lived in Madrid, I worked in a café. Every day I would get up early and walk to work. The city was always full of life: birds were singing, cars were passing by, and people were talking on the terraces.)
Cultural Context
The Spanish imperfect tense is essential for understanding Hispanic literature and storytelling. When reading works by authors like Gabriel García Márquez or Isabel Allende, you’ll notice how they use this tense to create atmospheric backgrounds and describe lasting conditions that set the stage for their stories.
In Conclusion
The Spanish imperfect tense is your key to describing past situations with depth and nuance. Whether you’re telling stories about your childhood, describing a past vacation, or setting a scene in writing, this tense helps you express the ongoing nature of past events. Understanding when and how to use the Spanish imperfect tense will transform your ability to communicate about the past in rich, meaningful ways.