Imperfect Tense Cheat Sheet
ADVERTISEMENT
1IMPERFECT CHEAT SHEET
The imperfect is tense is used for ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It also describes the way things were, what used to
happen or was going on, and the way people felt in general. Generally speaking, the imperfect is used for actions in the past
that are not seen as completed. Use of the imperfect tense implies that the past action did not have a definite beginning or a
definite end.
- The imperfect tense is used for actions that were repeated habitually.
Comíamos el almuerzo juntos todos los días.
Las señoras siempre hablaban por las mañanas.
We would eat lunch together every day.
The ladies would always talk in the mornings.
- The imperfect is used for actions that “set the stage” for another action.
Yo leía cuando entró mi papá.
I was reading when my father entered. (Note that “entered” is in the preterite)
- The imperfect is used for telling time and stating one’s age.
Eran las siete de la noche.
La niña tenía cinco años.
It was seven o'clock at night.
The little girl was five years old
*The verb endings for regular verbs are in the following chart using the following verbs as examples: hablar, comer, vivir. What
do you notice about the –AR endings? What do you notice about the yo, and él, ella, Ud. form? What do you notice about the –ER
and –IR endings?
-AR
-ER
-IR
hablaba
hablábamos
comía
comíamos
vivía
vivíamos
hablabas
hablabais
comías
comíais
vivías
vivíais
hablaba
hablaban
comía
comían
vivía
vivían
*****-AR verbs are regular in the imperfect tense.
GOOD NEWS!!!! THERE ARE ONLY THREE IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE IMPERFECT. YOU MUST SIMPLY MEMORIZE THE
FOLLOWING THREE.
Ir
Ver
Ser__________
iba
íbamos
veía
veíamos
era
éramos
ibas ibais
veías
veíais
eras
erais
iba
iban
veía
veían
era
eran
*One does not normally think of a general mental state or physical sensations as having a definite beginning or end, and so they are
usually expressed in the imperfect.
Ramón tenía miedo de hablar en público.
Ramon was afraid to speak in public.
Yo creía que Juan podía hacerlo.
I thought that Juan could do it.
Me gustaba el coche.
I liked the car. (The car was pleasing to me.)
The imperfect is used to describe how things were or what things were like. Use the imperfect when describing the
characteristics of people, things or conditions.
Era un chico muy inteligente.
Era una señorita muy guapa.
He was a very intelligent boy.
She was a beautiful young lady.
Las ventanas estaban abiertas.
La casa era blanca.
The windows were open.
The house was white.
ADVERTISEMENT
0 votes
Related Articles
Related forms
Related Categories
Parent category: Education