Imperfect forms of -ir verbs  



Gramática
The preterite is used to talk about completed actions in the past.

The imperfect is used to talk about what you used to do
or what you were like in the past and to talk about actions that
continue for an unspecified amount of time.

Cuando yo era joven, le decía a mi prima, "Tu vas a engordar".
When I was young, I used to say to my cousin "You are going to get fat".

The verb decir (to say, tell) is
regular in the imperfect tense.

The imperfect tense endings are:
ía íamos
ías íais
ía ían

Imperfect tense forms of decir (to say, tell)

yo decía (I was saying, use to say) nosotros decíamos (we were saying, use to say)
tú decías (you were saying, use to say) vosotros decíais (you guys were saying, use to say)
Ud./él/ella decía (you were saying, he/she was saying, use to say) Uds./ellos/ ellas decían (you all/they were saying, use to say)

Sentences with decir

Mi prima decía en la conferencia qué importante es sembrar árboles. - My cousin was saying at the conference how important it is to plant trees.
Yo les decía a mis amigas el año pasado que iban a viajar. - I was telling my girlfriends last year that they were going to travel.
Tú le decías a tu mamá lo mucho que la amabas. - You were telling your mom how you love her.
Cuando tenías a Félix, el gatito, le decías que jugara. - When you used to have Felix, the kitten, you used to tell him to play.
Nosotros siempre les decíamos a nuestros hijos que se portaran bien. - We used to tell our children to behave well.
Ellos decían frecuentemente que hay que comer comida sana. - They used to say frequently that it is important to eat healthy food.

Notes for the Tutor

  • The student should repeat these simple sentences to practice vocabulary and improve pronunciation.
  • The tutor should ask the student questions using DECIR in the preterite.
  • Suggested Homework:The student should prepare 5 sentences or more using DECIR in the imperfect. The student should begin memorizing the conjugation.

Use these free Spanish conjugation charts and guides.



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