The name of this tense in Spanish is: "pretérito imperfecto"
As we said in the previous lessons: In Spanish, there are 3 conjugations "ar", "er" and "ir". Now, we show you, the conjugation rules for the regular verbs:
First, we will see the conjugation of the "ar" verbs, the conjugation "ar" of the imperfect is quite different to the "er" and "ir" conjugation:
saltar (to jump)
First conjugation [stem] + "-ar" | Meaning |
---|---|
yo saltaba | I jumped |
tú saltabas | you jumped |
él saltaba | he jumped |
nosotros saltabamos | we jumped |
vosotros saltábais | you jumped |
ellos saltaban | they jumped |
Now, we will study the conjugation of the "er" verbs:
querer (to want)
Second conjugation [stem] + "-er" | Meaning |
---|---|
yo quería | I wanted |
tú querías | you wanted |
él quería | he wanted |
nosotros queríamos | we wanted |
vosotros queríais | you wanted |
ellos querían | they wanted |
Finally, we learn the conjugation of the "ir" verbs, if you notice, in the imperfect, there are no differences between the second and third conjugation("-er" and "–ir" verbs).
dormir (to sleep)
First conjugation [stem] + "-ir" | Meaning |
---|---|
yo dormía | I slept |
tú dormías | you slept |
él dormía | he slept |
nosotros dormíamos | we slept |
vosotros dormíais | you slept |
ellos dormían | they slept |
NOTE: "dormir" and "querer" are irregular verbs but they have regular conjugation for the imperfect tense.
Next, we have a table for you with all of the first, second and third person conjugations of regular verbs in the imperfect indicative.
Pronoun | first conjugation [stem] + "-ar" | second conjugation [stem] + "-er" | third conjugation [stem] + "-ir" |
---|---|---|---|
yo | aba | ía | |
tú | abas | ías | |
él | aba | ía | |
nosotros | ábamos | íamos | |
vosotros | abais | íais | |
ellos | aban | ían |
Mis hijos jugaban en el parque todas las tardes (ahora ya son mayores y no juegan en el parque)
My kids played in the park every afternoon (now they are older and don´t play in the park)
Cuando vivía en Barcelona, (yo) paseaba por la playa muchas tardes
When I lived in Barcelona, I walked on the beach many afternoons
Esa lámpara me gustaba mucho. Era muy moderna y tenía un color más vivo.
I liked that lamp. It was very modern and had a more vibrant color.
Sí, fui al concierto. El sonido era perfecto, había muchas luces y la gente se sabía todas las canciones.
Yes, I went to the concert. The sound was perfect, there were many lights and the people knew all of the songs.
When we ask a question, generally, we switch the position of the verb to that of the personal pronoun.
Affirmation | Interrogation |
---|---|
tú ganabas you won | ¿ganabas (tú)? did you win? |
ella respondía she answered | ¿respondía (ella)? did she answer? |
To make the negative form, simply put the word "no" before the verb, or, in other words, to the left of the verb.
Affirmation | Negation |
---|---|
yo caminaba I walked | yo no caminaba I did't walk |
él lavaba he washed | él no lavaba he didn't wash |