The imperfect tense(El tiempo imperfecto)

hablaba

The conjugation of -ar verbs

hablhabl

hablhablhabl

abasaba

ábamosabaisaban

There are no irregular -ar verbs in the imperfect!

Notice the written

accent mark!

only on the nosotros form

Just as with other tenses, we always start with the stem of the verb.

hablar

comía

comíascomía

comíamos

comíais

comían

All forms have a written accent over the í.

The conjugation of -er verbs

comer

escribía

escribías

escribía

escribíamosescribíais

escribían

The conjugation of -ir verbs

All forms have a written accent over the í.

escribir

The conjugation of -ir verbs is identical to -er verbs.

eraerasera

éramoseraiseran

There are only three irregular verbs!

Ser Notice the written

accent mark!

only on the nosotros form

was

ibaibasiba

íbamosibaisiban

There are only three irregular verbs!

Ir Notice the written

accent mark!

only on the nosotros form

Was going / Used to go

veía

veíasveía

veíamos

veíaisveían

There are only three irregular verbs!

All forms have a written accent over the í.

ver

Was seeing / used to see

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct IMPERFECT form of the verb in ( _ ).

1. Los niños ____(jugar) con los carros.

2. Mi hermana ____(ir) a la playa de niña.

3. Yo ____ (ver) la televisión cada noche.

4. Mi primo y yo ___ (saltar) a la cuerda.

5. Tú ___(hacer) crucigramas en la clase.

6. Cuando Uds. ___(ser) niños, Uds. no ___(limpiar) el baño.

7. Cuando yo ___(tener) cinco años, yo ___(ser) muy bien educado.

1. The imperfect is always used to express age and time of day in the past:

Yo tenía quince años cuando aprendí a manejar.

Eran las diez cuando el tren llegó a la estación.

The uses of the imperfect

I was fifteen years old when I learned to drive.

It was ten o’clock when the train arrived at the station.

One of the classic uses of the imperfect is to describe our childhood habits and activities:

2. Expressing habitual past actions (used to, would)

Cuando yo era niño, yo . . .

. . . siempre estudiaba solo en mi cuarto.

. . . jugaba con mis amiguitos todos los días.

The use of the imperfect

When I was a child, I . . .

. . . always studied (used to study) alone in my room.

. . . would play with my friends every day.

. . . comía cereal cada mañana.

. . . leía libros de cuentos todo el tiempo.

. . . iba todos los veranos a Disneylandia con mis padres.

More examples of habitual past actions:

More examples of habitual past actions:

De niño, yo . . .As a child, I . . .

. . . used to eat cereal every morning.

. . . read storybooks all the time.

. . . would go to Disneyland every summer with my parents.

Pedro comía en ese restaurante todos los sábados.

The uses of the imperfect

Pedro used to eat at that restaurant every Saturday.

Of course, the imperfect is not limited to discussing childhood activities. Any habitual activities are expressed in the imperfect.

Of course, the imperfect is not limited to discussing childhood activities. Any habitual activities are expressed in the imperfect.

Ana iba de compras todo el tiempo.Ana used to go shopping all the time.

The imperfect expresses something that was happening at a given time, without reference to its beginning or ending:

3. Expressing the ongoing (was . . . ing)

Roberto estudiaba en su cuarto.

Elena lavaba los platos en la cocina.

Ayer a eso de las cuatro yo leía el periódico mientras mi esposa miraba la tele.

The uses of the imperfect

Roberto was studying in his room.

Elena was washing the dishes in the kitchen.

Yesterday around four o’clock I was reading the newspaper while my wife was watching TV.

Frequently the ongoing action is interrupted by another abrupt or completed action that is expressed in the preterite.

Frequently the ongoing action is interrupted by another abrupt or completed action that is expressed in the preterite.

Roberto estudiaba en su cuarto cuando el teléfono sonó.

Elena lavaba los platos en la cocina cuando alguien tocó a la puerta.

Roberto was studying in his room when the phone rang.

Elena was washing the dishes in the kitchen when someone knocked at the door.

Conversábamos con el dependiente cuando Lourdes entró en la joyería.

Las chicas salían de la tienda cuando Jorge las vio.

More examples of interrupted actions in the Imperfect

More examples of interrupted actions in the Imperfect

We were talking with the clerk when Lourdes entered the jewelry store.

The girls were leaving the store when Jorge saw them.

4. Expressing mental, physical and emotional states

Alicia estaba contenta durante el concierto.

Nos sentíamos mal después de comer allí.

The uses of the imperfect

Alicia was happy during the concert.

We felt sick after eating there.

De niño yo siempre creía en Santa Claus.As a child I always believed in Santa Claus.

Los estudiantes no querían estudiar aunque sabían que era necesario.

The students didn’t want to study even though they knew that it was necessary.

5. Describing scenarios and situations

Era un día triste. Hacía muy mal tiempo y llovía. Yo leía en mi cuarto y esperaba una llamada telefónica. Anita practicaba el piano en la sala y los niños jugaban a la pata coja en el garaje.

The use of the imperfect

It was a sad day. The weather was very bad and it was raining. I was reading in my room and waiting for a telephone call. Anita was practicing the piano in the living room and the children were playing hopscotch in the garage.

6. Expressing indirect statements

Carlos dijo que Juan venía a mi casa a las ocho.

Los agentes afirmaron que los espías hablaban muy bien el inglés.

El volante policíaco dice que el delincuente era bajo y cojeaba un poco.

The uses of the imperfect

Carlos said that Juan was coming to my house at eight o’clock.

The agents affirmed that the spies spoke English very well.

The police flyer states that the criminal was short and limped somewhat.

2. Habitual action2. Habitual action

1. Age and time of day in the past1. Age and time of day in the pastYo tenía treinta años cuando me casé.

Overview of the use of the imperfect

I was thirty years old when I got married.

Eran las tres cuando Hugo llegó.It was three o’clock when Hugo arrived.

De niño, yo siempre comía cereal.As a child, I always used to eat cereal.

Íbamos al parque con frecuencia.We would go to the park frequently.

Hablábamos español en nuestra casa.We spoke Spanish in our house.

3. Ongoing action3. Ongoing action

4. Description—setting the scene4. Description—setting the scene

Overview of the use of the imperfect

Carlos leía el periódico mientras su hijo cortaba el césped.Carlos was reading the newspaper while his son was mowing the lawn.

Era un día muy lúgubre. El cielo estaba nublado y llovía a cántaros.

It was a very gloomy day. The sky was cloudy and it was raining cats and dogs.

5. Mental, physical, and emotional states5. Mental, physical, and emotional states

6. Indirect statements6. Indirect statements

Overview of the use of the imperfect

Juan pensaba que necesitaba más dinero del que tenía para el viaje.

Juan thought that he needed more money than he had for the trip.

Pancho dijo que su hermano vendía su coche.Pancho said that his brother was selling his car.

B. Refer to the 6 uses of the Imperfect tense to determine which use matches the statements below.

1. Hacía buen tiempo pero hacía un poco calor.

2. Elena tenía tres años cuando ella llegó a Texas.

3. Yo dormía mientras mi madre cocinaba el desayuno.

4. El Sr. Gonzalez tenía miedo de los osos de peluche.

5. Cuando nosotros eramos niños, jugábamos al escondite todos los días.

6. La maestra dijo que los estudiantes no estudiaban mucho para los exámenes.