The Imperfect Tense of estar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions, states, or descriptions in the past. For example, Estaba enfermo. (I was sick.)

Estar is an irregular verb, meaning its conjugations do not follow a set pattern in certain tenses, including the Imperfect.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of estar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions, states, or conditions in the past.

Describing an ongoing state or condition in the past: For example, Estaba cansado después de trabajar todo el día. (I was tired after working all day.)

Describing repeated or habitual actions in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, estaba siempre jugando en el parque. (When I was a child, I was always playing in the park.)

Describing a temporary state or condition in the past: For example, Estaba enfermo la semana pasada. (I was sick last week.)

Describing the weather or time in the past: For example, Estaba lloviendo cuando salimos de casa. (It was raining when we left the house.)

Describing the location or position of something in the past: For example, El libro estaba sobre la mesa. (The book was on the table.)

Expressing age in the past: For example, Cuando tenía 10 años, estaba en quinto grado. (When I was 10 years old, I was in fifth grade.)

Expressing a state of mind or emotion in the past: For example, Estaba muy emocionado por mi cumpleaños. (I was very excited about my birthday.)

Slang or idiomatic usage: For example, Estaba hasta las mangas. (I was completely drunk or wasted.)

Examples

Examples of Estar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo estaba esperando el autobús cuando comenzó a llover. (I was waiting for the bus when it started to rain.)

Ellos estaban muy cansados después de trabajar todo el día. (They were very tired after working all day.)

¿Estabas viendo la televisión anoche? (Were you watching TV last night?)

Nosotros estábamos comiendo en un restaurante cuando vimos a nuestro vecino. (We were eating at a restaurant when we saw our neighbor.)

Tú estabas hablando por teléfono cuando llegué. (You were talking on the phone when I arrived.)

Ella estaba leyendo un libro interesante en el parque. (She was reading an interesting book in the park.)

¿Estabais estudiando para el examen? (Were you (plural) studying for the exam?)

Mis amigos estaban practicando deportes en el gimnasio. (My friends were practicing sports at the gym.)

Yo estaba un poco estresado por el trabajo la semana pasada. (I was a bit stressed about work last week.)

Ustedes estaban disfrutando de las vacaciones en la playa. (You were enjoying the vacation at the beach.)

¿Estabas escuchando música mientras conducías? (Were you listening to music while driving?)

Nosotros estábamos aprendiendo un nuevo idioma en la escuela. (We were learning a new language at school.)

Ellas estaban cocinando una deliciosa cena para la familia. (They were cooking a delicious dinner for the family.)

Tú estabas trabajando demasiado y necesitabas un descanso. (You were working too much and needed a break.)

¿Estabais esperando a alguien en el aeropuerto? (Were you (plural) waiting for someone at the airport?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Estar (to be) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.