The Imperfect Tense of llamarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Me llamaba María. (I was called María.)

Llamarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

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

The imperfect tense of llamarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To introduce oneself: For example, Me llamaba Juan. (I used to be called Juan.)

To state one’s name: For example, Ella se llamaba María. (Her name was María.)

To describe someone’s name: For example, Mi amigo se llamaba Pedro, pero todos le decían Pedrito. (My friend’s name was Pedro, but everyone called him Pedrito.)

To refer to someone’s nickname or alias: For example, En el barrio se llamaba “El Flaco”. (In the neighborhood, he was known as “El Flaco” (The Skinny One).)

To express someone’s former name: For example, Antes de casarse, se llamaba Rodríguez. (Before getting married, her last name was Rodríguez.)

Examples

Examples of Llamarse in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuelo se llamaba José. (When he was a child, my grandfather was called José.)

La empresa se llamaba “Innovaciones S.A.” antes del cambio de nombre. (The company was called “Innovaciones S.A.” before the name change.)

¿Cómo se llamaba tu ex novio? (What was your ex-boyfriend’s name?)

La calle principal se llamaba “Avenida de la Libertad” en ese entonces. (The main street was called “Avenida de la Libertad” back then.)

Ustedes se llamaban “Los Rebeldes” cuando tocaban en bares, ¿no? (You guys used to be called “The Rebels” when you played in bars, right?)

Antes de casarnos, ella se llamaba Martínez. (Before we got married, her last name was Martínez.)

El equipo de fútbol se llamaba “Los Halcones” la temporada pasada. (The soccer team was called “The Falcons” last season.)

¿Cómo se llamaba esa aplicación que usábamos para pedir comida? (What was the name of that app we used to order food?)

Vosotros os llamabais “El Grupo de los Cinco” cuando erais niños, ¿verdad? (You guys used to call yourselves “The Group of Five” when you were kids, right?)

La revista se llamaba “Estilo de Vida” antes de su rediseño. (The magazine was called “Lifestyle” before its redesign.)

Yo me llamaba “El Chico Rudo” en la secundaria. (I used to be called “The Tough Guy” in high school.)

¿Recuerdas cómo se llamaba ese restaurante donde solíamos ir los viernes? (Do you remember what that restaurant we used to go to on Fridays was called?)

La banda se llamaba “Los Reyes del Rock” antes de cambiar su estilo musical. (The band was called “The Rock Kings” before they changed their musical style.)

Tú te llamabas “El Cerebrito” en la escuela, ¿no es cierto? (You used to be called “The Brainiac” at school, didn’t you?)

Ellos se llamaban “Los Aventureros” cuando viajaban por todo el mundo. (They used to call themselves “The Adventurers” when they traveled around the world.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Llamarse (to be called) 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.