Imperfect Indicative - ar verbs  


Regular -ar Verbs

The imperfect tense of regular (ar) verbs takes place by substituting the ar ending with aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban.
For example the verb pensar (to think):

pens + (ending) --> pensaba, pensabas, pensaba, pensábamos, pensabais, pensaban

The first and third person singular forms are identical, therefore the context must distinguish between the two.

Let's look at some example sentences:

Pensaba pasar una temporada en Madrid.
I was thinking to spend a spell in Madrid.

Yo siempre andaba en bicicleta cuando era joven.
I always used to ride a bike when I was young.

Tú caminabas en la montaña.
You were walking on the mountain.

Mientras pescaban hablaban del partido de fútbol.
While they were fishing, they were talking about the soccer game.

Siempre me llamaba cuando estaba de viaje.
He always used to call me when he was traveling.

Primero nos tomábamos una copa y después cenábamos.
First we would have a drink and then we would have dinner.

[ view complete lesson ]

Related Topics
irregular verbs
imperfect tense
more on imperfect
preterite vs imperfect
imperfect indicators

Endings for -ar verbs

yo aba
abas
Ud./ él/ ella aba
nosotros ábamos
vosotros abais
Uds./ ellos/ ellas aban

See It Used in a Sentence

Sentence Flash Cards & Videos

Sentence Flashcards - Imperfect

Practice Forming & Using Sentences

Image-Sentence Match Quiz Word Order Quiz

Review With Exercises
Multiple Choice QuizA vs B


  Vocabulary Flashcards
  Vocabulary Quiz
  Photo Quiz
  Spelling Quiz
  Sentence Flashcards
  Video
  Example Sentences
  Dialogue
  Image-Sentence Match
  Word Order Quiz
  Multiple Choice Quiz
  A or B Quiz
  Fill In

Icon Legend

Icons are color coded by Spanish level:

Green = Beginner
Blue = Intermediate
Orange = Advanced


Black icons are unrelated to Spanish level:

Help
Download
Information




Popular Phrase: toda esta