Imperfect tense
One of the two simple past tenses in Spanish is the imperfect. The Imperfect Past tense is used to describe actions or situations that were incomplete or in progress at the point of time in the past that is being described. It is also used for ongoing conditions and repeated occurrences in the past.
The imperfect is the easiest, most regular tense in Spanish. You will notice below that -er and -ir verbs have the same endings (all with accents). The formation of the imperfect for the regular verb hablar (to speak) is shown in the table below.
hablar (example sentences) (full conjugation)
| yo | hablaba |
(I was speaking) | I used to speak |
| tú | hablabas |
(you were speaking) | you used to speak |
| Ud./ él/ ella | hablaba |
(she was speaking) | she used to speak |
| nosotros | hablábamos |
(we were speaking) | we used to speak |
| vosotros | hablabais |
(you guys were speaking) | you guys used to speak |
| Uds./ ellos/ ellas | hablaban |
(they were speaking) | they used to speak |
Note: m = male f = female mix = mixed group yo = I, tú = you (informal) usted (Ud.) = you (formal) él = he, ella = she nosotros = we (m/mix), nosotras = we (f) vosotros = you guys (informal, m/mix) vosotras = you guys (informal, f) ellos = they (m/mix), ellas = they (f) ustedes (Uds.) = you all (formal)
-ar verbs in the imperfect tense
| yo | -aba |
| tú | -abas |
| Ud./él/ella | -aba |
| nosotros (as) | -ábamos |
| vosotros (as) | -abais |
| Uds./ellos/ellas | -aban |
pensar (example sentences) (full conjugation)
| yo | pensaba |
(I thought) |
| tú | pensabas |
(you thought) |
| Ud./él/ella | pensaba |
(you/he/she thought) |
| nosotros as | pensábamos |
(we thought) |
| vosotros as | pensabais |
(you guys thought) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | pensaban |
(you all/they thought) |
trabajar (example sentences)(full conjugation)
| yo | trabajaba |
(I worked) |
| tú | trabajabas |
(you worked) |
| Ud./él/ella | trabajaba |
(you/he/she worked) |
| nosotros as | trabajábamos |
(we worked) |
| vosotros as | trabajabais |
(you guys worked) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | trabajaban |
(you all/they worked) |
imperfect tense for verbs ending in -er and -ir
| yo | -ía |
| tú | -ías |
| Ud./él/ella | -ía |
| nosotros as | -íamos |
| vosotros as | -íais |
| Uds./ellos/ellas | -ían |
vivir (example sentences) (full conjugation)
| yo | vivía |
(I lived) |
| tú | vivías |
(you lived) |
| Ud./él/ella | vivía |
(you/he/she lived) |
| nosotros as | vivíamos |
(we lived) |
| vosotros as | vivíais |
(you guys lived) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | vivían |
(you all/they lived) |
sentir (example sentences)(full conjugation)
| yo | sentía |
(I felt) |
| tú | sentías |
(you felt) |
| Ud./él/ella | sentía |
(you/he/she felt) |
| nosotros as | sentíamos |
(we felt) |
| vosotros as | sentíais |
(you guys felt) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | sentían |
(you all/they felt) |
perder (example sentences)(full conjugation)
| yo | perdía |
(I lost) |
| tú | perdías |
(you lost) |
| Ud./él/ella | perdía |
(you/he/she lost) |
| nosotros as | perdíamos |
(we lost) |
| vosotros as | perdíais |
(you guys lost) |
| Uds./ellos/ ellas | perdían |
(you all/they lost) |