The imperfect tense (el imperfecto) is often called the easiest Spanish past tense to form — and for good reason. Regular verbs follow two simple patterns, and only three verbs in the entire language are irregular. Once you master the endings here, you will have a powerful tool for describing the past in Spanish.
Before diving into conjugation tables, it helps to understand why Spanish speakers use the imperfect. While the preterite describes completed, one-time past actions (“I ate dinner”), the imperfect describes ongoing or repeated past situations. Think of it as the tense of memory, habit, and background detail. You will use it to:
For example: De niño, comía helado todos los veranos — “As a child, I used to eat ice cream every summer.” That repeated childhood habit is exactly what the imperfect is built for.
All regular –ar verbs share identical imperfect endings. The model verb here is hablar (to speak). Drop the –ar infinitive ending and add the endings shown below. Notice the written accent on the nosotros form: hablábamos.
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaba | ah-BLAH-bah |
| tú | hablabas | ah-BLAH-bahs |
| él / ella / usted | hablaba | ah-BLAH-bah |
| nosotros | hablábamos | ah-BLAH-bah-mohs |
| vosotros | hablabais | ah-BLAH-by-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablaban | ah-BLAH-bahn |
The –ar imperfect ending pattern is: –aba, –abas, –aba, –ábamos, –abais, –aban. These same endings work for any regular –ar verb: caminar (to walk) → caminaba; trabajar (to work) → trabajaba; escuchar (to listen) → escuchaba.
Regular –er verbs use a different set of endings, built around the vowel i. Drop the –er ending and add the forms below. Every form requires a written accent over the i.
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | comía | koh-MEE-ah |
| tú | comías | koh-MEE-ahs |
| él / ella / usted | comía | koh-MEE-ah |
| nosotros | comíamos | koh-MEE-ah-mohs |
| vosotros | comíais | koh-MEE-ice |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | comían | koh-MEE-ahn |
The –er ending pattern is: –ía, –ías, –ía, –íamos, –íais, –ían. Try it with other common verbs: beber (to drink) → bebía; correr (to run) → corría; leer (to read) → leía.
Here is great news: regular –ir verbs use exactly the same endings as –er verbs. The –ir imperfect is not a separate pattern to memorize — it is the same –ía set applied to a different infinitive stem.
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | vivía | bee-BEE-ah |
| tú | vivías | bee-BEE-ahs |
| él / ella / usted | vivía | bee-BEE-ah |
| nosotros | vivíamos | bee-BEE-ah-mohs |
| vosotros | vivíais | bee-BEE-ice |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | vivían | bee-BEE-ahn |
More –ir examples: escribir (to write) → escribía; abrir (to open) → abría; salir (to leave) → salía.
The imperfect tense has only three irregular verbs in the entire Spanish language. This is remarkable: the preterite has dozens of irregulars, but the imperfect demands you memorize just three short lists. Study these carefully — all three are high-frequency verbs you will need constantly.
ser (to be — permanent or characteristic qualities)
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | era | EH-rah |
| tú | eras | EH-rahs |
| él / ella / usted | era | EH-rah |
| nosotros | éramos | EH-rah-mohs |
| vosotros | erais | eh-RICE |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | eran | EH-rahn |
ir (to go)
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | iba | EE-bah |
| tú | ibas | EE-bahs |
| él / ella / usted | iba | EE-bah |
| nosotros | íbamos | EE-bah-mohs |
| vosotros | ibais | ee-BICE |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | iban | EE-bahn |
ver (to see)
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | veía | beh-EE-ah |
| tú | veías | beh-EE-ahs |
| él / ella / usted | veía | beh-EE-ah |
| nosotros | veíamos | beh-EE-ah-mohs |
| vosotros | veíais | beh-EE-ice |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | veían | beh-EE-ahn |
Notice that ver is irregular only in that it keeps the full stem ve– before the regular –ía endings, producing an accent on every form. Ser and ir are completely unique shapes you simply need to commit to memory.
Knowing the forms is just the start. The real skill is knowing when to reach for the imperfect instead of the preterite. Here are the six most important uses, each with a clear example.
| Use | Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Habitual past action (used to) | Los domingos, íbamos al mercado. | On Sundays, we used to go to the market. |
| Repeated past action (would) | Estudiaba dos horas cada noche. | I would study two hours every night. |
| Background scene / ongoing state | Llovía y las calles estaban vacías. | It was raining and the streets were empty. |
| Age in the past | Tenía diez años cuando aprendí a nadar. | I was ten years old when I learned to swim. |
| Time of day in the past | Eran las tres de la tarde. | It was three in the afternoon. |
| Action interrupted by another | Leía cuando sonó el teléfono. | I was reading when the phone rang. |
That last example is especially useful to understand: the imperfect describes the ongoing background action (leía — was reading), while the preterite (sonó — rang) describes the sudden interruption. The two tenses work as a team in storytelling.
Certain Spanish time expressions nearly always signal the imperfect tense. When you spot these words in a sentence, the imperfect is almost always the right choice.
| Spanish Signal Word | Pronunciation | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| siempre | see-EM-preh | always |
| nunca | NOON-kah | never |
| a veces | ah BEH-sehs | sometimes |
| todos los días | TOH-dohs lohs DEE-ahs | every day |
| cada semana | KAH-dah seh-MAH-nah | every week |
| con frecuencia | kohn freh-KWEN-see-ah | frequently |
| de niño / de pequeño | deh NEE-nyoh / deh peh-KEN-yoh | as a child |
| cuando era joven | KWAN-doh EH-rah HOH-ben | when I was young |
| en aquella época | en ah-KEH-yah EH-poh-kah | in those days / back then |
| antes | AHN-tehs | before / formerly |
• Do not confuse ser and estar in the past. Both mean “to be”, but only ser is irregular in the imperfect. Estar is perfectly regular: estaba, estabas, estaba, estábamos, estabais, estaban. Use ser for descriptions of identity or character; use estar for temporary states and locations.
• The yo and él/ella forms are identical. In context this is never ambiguous because the subject is usually clear. When it could be ambiguous, simply include the pronoun: Yo hablaba vs. Él hablaba.
• Do not drop the accent on hablábamos and éramos and íbamos. Written accents are part of the spelling; leaving them out is a spelling error, even if the meaning is usually understood.
• The imperfect does not mean the action was unimportant. Some learners assume the preterite is for “big” events and the imperfect for minor background detail. The real distinction is whether the action is viewed as complete (preterite) or as ongoing/habitual (imperfect).
• “Used to” and “would” are your translation friends. When converting Spanish to English, try both: Iba al gimnasio can be “I used to go to the gym” or “I would go to the gym.” Both capture the habitual imperfect perfectly.
The best way to lock in the imperfect is to produce it yourself. Read each prompt, form the sentence mentally, then check below.
Sample answers: