Work Space
Intermediate II
27. Imperfect tense formation (Imperfecto, formación)
In Spanish,
there are two main ways to express actions in the past: the preterit and the
imperfect.
This lesson
includes information on:
- Imperfect Tense Conjugation of
Regular Verbs
- Related Vocabulary
1. Imperfect Tense Conjugation of Regular Verbs
The
Imperfect Tense is used to describe:
- Actions repeated in the past
(i.e., used to). For example, "I used to study Spanish every
morning."
- Hours, dates, ages and names in
the past. For example, "It was 8 o'clock when he came
home" and "He was 10 years old last year."
- Description in the past. For example, "She
had brown eyes."
- Events that don’t have a
beginning or an end. For example, "She studied Spanish in
- A substitution for the past progressive.
For example: I was reading when
you called.
Here is a
conjugation example of a regular verb with an "ar"
ending. These same endings are used for all "regular verbs"
that end in "ar",
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Hablar |
To Speak |
|
Yo |
hablaba |
I spoke |
|
Tú |
hablabas |
You spoke |
|
Usted/él/ella |
hablaba |
You
(formal)/He/She spoke |
|
Nosotros |
hablábamos |
We spoke |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
hablaban |
You (plural)
spoke/They spoke |
Here is a
conjugation example of a regular verb with an "er"
ending. These same endings are used for all "regular verbs" that end
in "er",
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Comer |
To Eat |
|
Yo |
comía |
I ate |
|
Tú |
comías |
You ate |
|
Usted/él/ella |
comía |
You
(formal)/He/She ate |
|
Nosotros |
comíamos |
We ate |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
comían |
You
(plural) speak/They ate |
Here is a
conjugation example of a regular verb with an "ir"
ending. These same endings are used for all "regular verbs" that end
in "ir"
|
Spanish |
Spanish |
English |
|
Subject |
Infinitive: Vivir |
To Live |
|
Yo |
vivía |
I lived |
|
Tú |
vivías |
You lived |
|
Usted/él/ella |
vivía |
You
(formal)/He/She lived |
|
Nosotros |
vivíamos |
We lived |
|
Ustedes/Ellos/Ellas |
vivían |
You
(plural) speak/They lived |
2. Related Vocabulary
|
Spanish |
English |
|
Grabar |
To record |
|
Gritar |
To scream |
|
Invitar |
To invite |
|
Llamar |
To call |
|
Llorar |
To cry |
|
Mandar |
To send |
|
Manejar |
To drive |
|
Marcar |
To mark,
dial |
|
Nadar |
To swim |
|
Parar |
To stop |
|
Pasar |
To pass,
to happen |
|
Patinar |
To skate |
|
Tirar |
To throw |
|
Trotar |
To jog |
|
Quitar |
To take
away |
|
Tardar |
To be
late |
|
Comer |
To eat |
|
Toser |
To cough |
|
Meter |
To put in |
|
Obtener |
To obtain |
|
Comprometer |
To
compromise |
|
Defender |
To defend |
|
Mantener |
To
maintain |
|
Desprender |
To remove |
|
Encender |
To turn
on |
|
Oler |
To smell |
|
Leer |
To read |
|
Detener |
To detain |
|
Cometer |
To commit |
|
Prometer |
To
promise |
|
Aprender |
To learn |
|
Entender |
To
understand |
|
Vivir |
To live |
|
Sobrevivir |
To
survive |
|
Omitir |
To omit |
|
Admitir |
To admit |
|
Permitir |
To permit |
|
Preferir |
To prefer |
|
Insistir |
To insist |
|
Intervenir |
To
intervene |
|
Imprimir |
To print |
|
Subir |
To climb |
|
Conseguir |
To obtain |
|
Seguir |
To
follow, to continue |
|
Asistir |
To attend |
|
Salir |
To leave |
|
Despedir |
To say
goodbye to, to fire |
|
Repetir |
To repeat |
|
Servir |
To serve |
|
Vestir |
To dress |
|
Mentir |
To lie |
|
Hervir |
To boil |
|
Reír |
To laugh |
|
Sonreír |
To smile |
|
Concluir |
To
conclude |
|
Incluir |
To
include |
|
Huir |
To flee |