El Imperfecto (The Imperfect): Describing Past Actions

Learning Objectives Conjugate regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the imperfect tense. Conjugate the three irregular verbs (ser, ir, ver) in the imperfect tense. Differentiate the use of the imperfect for descriptions and habitual actions from the preterite's use for completed actions. Use the imperfect to describe ongoing actions, states of being, and conditions in the past (e.g., age, weather, time). Construct sentences that describe settings and backgrounds for stories set in the past. Analyze short Spanish texts to identify and explain the function of the imperfect tense. Ever wonder how to say 'I used to play outside every day' or 'It was a dark and stormy night' in Spanish? 🤔 Let's travel back in time with the imperfect tense! In this les...

TermDefinitionExample Imperfect Tense (El Imperfecto)A past tense used to describe ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions, as well as to describe states of being, conditions, time, and age in the past. It sets the scene rather than narrating the main events.Cuando era niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to play soccer every day.) Habitual Action (Acción Habitual)An action that was done repeatedly or customarily over an unspecified period of time in the past. Keywords include 'siempre' (always), 'a menudo' (often), 'todos los días' (every day).Mi abuela siempre nos preparaba galletas. (My grandmother always used to prepare cookies for us.) Ongoing Action (Acción en Progreso)An action that was in progress at a specific moment in t...

Regular -AR Verb Conjugation Verb Stem + -aba, -abas, -aba, -ábamos, -abais, -aban For regular verbs ending in -ar, remove the -ar ending from the infinitive to find the stem. Then, add the appropriate imperfect ending based on the subject. Note the accent on the 'a' in the nosotros form: -ábamos. Regular -ER and -IR Verb Conjugation Verb Stem + -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían For regular verbs ending in -er or -ir, remove the ending to find the stem. Then, add the appropriate imperfect ending. Note that the endings are identical for both -er and -ir verbs and all forms have an accent on the first 'i'. The Three Irregular Verbs Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran. | Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban. | Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos,...