Severn Spanish

Imperfect II: Formation and basic usage

 

Introduction/Review

You’ve known for quite some time about the preterite tense, one of the two past tenses in Spanish. The imperfect is the second past tense, and it differs from the preterite in both conjugation and usage. Before moving on, make sure to review the preterite and the basics of its use in Preterite I/II.

 

Formation

-ar Verbs

Drop the infinitive and add the following endings. You will notice that, for all types of infinitives, the yo and él/ella/usted forms have the same conjugations, and therefore you will need to rely on context to determine what the subject is if it is not stated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examples:

yo (cantar)

Subject: yo

Verb and stem: cantar → cant-

Conjugation ending: -aba

Final: Yo cantaba.

 

ustedes (bailar)

Subject: ustedes

Verb and stem: bailar → bail-

Conjugation ending: -aban

Final: Ustedes cantaban.

 

nosotros (hablar)

Subject: nosotros

Verb and stem: hablar → habl-

Conjugation ending: -ábamos

Final: Nosotros hablábamos.

 

tú (mirar)

Subject: tú

Verb and stem: mirar → mir-

Conjugation ending: -abas

Final: Tú mirabas.

 

-er/-ir Verbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examples:

ella (escribir)

Subject: ella

Verb and stem: escribir → escrib-

Conjugation ending: -ía

Final: Ella escribía.

 

ellos (vivir)

Subject: ellos

Verb and stem: vivir → viv-

Conjugation ending: -ían

Final: Ellos escribían.

 

yo (comer)

Subject: yo

Verb and stem: comer → com-

Conjugation ending: -ía

Final: Yo comía.

 

usted (tener)

Subject: usted

Verb and stem: tener → ten-

Conjugation ending: -ía

Final: Usted tenía.

 

Irregulars

Luckily for you, there are only 3 irregulars in the imperfect: ir, ser, and ver.

 

ir

 

 

 

 

 

 

ser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ver

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usage

Deciding whether to use the preterite or the imperfect is a problem that plagues every Spanish student and many native speakers. This section will cover the very basic differences between the two tenses to help you get a feeling for how each is used. More specific rules and explanations can be found in Preterite vs. Imperfect II.

 

When choosing between the two tenses, it often helps to visualize a timeline. On this timeline, some events take place at specific times or during specific, definable time periods and were completed in the past. With these events, you want to use the preterite. Here are some examples:

 

• Elena nació. (“Elena was born.” This event takes place once, at a specific time.)

• Elena se mudó a Barcelona. (“Elena moved to Barcelona.” Again, this event takes place at one specific time.)

• Elena trabajó como enfermera durante dos años. (“Elena worked as a nurse for two years.” This action took place over a time period that is defined.)

 

Background events that tell how things were (fuzzy sections underneath the timeline with no specific time or time period) are expressed with the imperfect. Often, people translate the imperfect as “used to…” Thinking of it in this way can help a bit, but that is no hard and fast rule. Habitual and repeating events are also expressed with the imperfect.

• Elena tenía pelo rubio como niña. (“Elena had red hair as a girl.” There is no specific time period. You could also translate as, “Elena used to have red hair as a girl,” but this is more awkward.)

• Elena visitaba a su abuela todos los días. (“Elena visited her grandmother every day.” This is a habitual or repeating event, something that Elena did over and over in the past. Another translation: “Elena used to visit her grandmother every day.”)

• Elena vivía en Barcelona. (“Elena lived in Barcelona.” Could also be, “Elena used to live in Barcelona.”)

 

 

 

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