LITMIR.BIZ

      The Imperfect Tense

      The imperfect tense is used to refer to actions in the past that occurred repeatedly.

      Yo caminaba cada día. - I used to walk every day.

      The imperfect tense is also used to refer to actions in the past that occurred over an extended period of time.

      Yo comía frecuentemente pollo. - I used to eat chicken frequently.

      The imperfect tense is also used to “set the stage” for an event that occurred in the past.

      Veníamos para casa cuando vimos a Juan. - We were coming home when we saw Juan.

      Actions which are not physical, that is feelings and mental actions, usually use the imperfect tense.

      Juan estaba enfermo. - Juan was feeling sick.

      The imperfect is frequently associated with phrases that describe the frequency of past actions.

      a menudo - often

      a veces - sometimes

      cada día - every day

      cada año - every year

      con frecuencia - frequently

      de vez en cuando - from time to time

      en aquella época - at that time

      frecuentemente - frequently

      generalmente - usually

      muchas veces - many times

      mucho - a lot

      nunca - never

      por un rato - for awhile

      siempre - always

      tantas veces - so many times

      todas las semanas - every week

      todos los días - every day

      todo el tiempo - all the time

      varias veces - several times

      Regular forms of the imperfect are formed by adding the following endings to the stem of the verb:

      -ar verbs

      -er verbs, -ir verbs

      aba

      ía

      abas

      ías

      aba

      ía

      ábamos

      íamos

      abais

      íais

      aban

      ían

      Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect

      Ser

      Ir

      Ver

      era

      iba

      veía

      eras

      ibas

      veías

      era

      iba

      veía

      éramos

      íbamos

      veíamos

      erais

      ibais

      veíais

      eran

      iban

      veían

      The Subjunctive Tense