The Imperfect Tense of saludar is used to describe ongoing or repeated greetings in the past, for example, Yo saludaba a mis vecinos cada mañana. (I used to greet my neighbors every morning.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Saludar (to greet) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of saludar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Greeting or saying hello: For example, Yo saludaba a mis vecinos cada mañana. (I used to greet my neighbors every morning.)

Waving or gesturing hello: For example, Ella me saludaba con la mano desde la ventana. (She used to wave hello to me from the window.)

Expressing respect or courtesy: For example, Los niños saludaban al profesor al entrar al aula. (The children would greet the teacher when entering the classroom.)

Colloquial usage: In some contexts, saludar can be used informally to mean “to hit or punch someone,” for example, Le saludaba en la cara si no me pagaba. (I would punch him in the face if he didn’t pay me.)

Examples

Examples of Saludar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo saludaba a mis vecinos cada mañana. (I used to greet my neighbors every morning.)

Cuando éramos niños, saludábamos a nuestros amigos con un saludo secreto. (When we were kids, we used to greet our friends with a secret handshake.)

Ellos saludaban a todos con una gran sonrisa. (They used to greet everyone with a big smile.)

En la fiesta, saludábamos a la gente con un abrazo. (At the party, we used to greet people with a hug.)

Tú saludabas a tus compañeros de clase con un gesto de la mano. (You used to greet your classmates with a wave.)

Nosotros saludábamos a nuestros familiares con un beso en la mejilla. (We used to greet our relatives with a kiss on the cheek.)

Vosotros saludabais a vuestros amigos con un choque de puños. (You all used to greet your friends with a fist bump.)

Ella saludaba a su jefe con un apretón de manos firme. (She used to greet her boss with a firm handshake.)

Ustedes saludaban a los extraños con una inclinación de cabeza. (You all used to greet strangers with a nod.)

Él saludaba a sus compañeros de trabajo con un “¡Buenos días!” alegre. (He used to greet his coworkers with a cheerful “Good morning!”)

Cuando saludábamos a nuestros amigos, usábamos un saludo informal. (When we used to greet our friends, we used an informal greeting.)

En las reuniones, saludábamos a los clientes con un apretón de manos profesional. (At meetings, we used to greet clients with a professional handshake.)

Vosotros saludabais a vuestros profesores con respeto. (You all used to greet your teachers with respect.)

Ellas saludaban a sus amigas con un abrazo cálido. (They used to greet their friends with a warm hug.)

Yo saludaba a mi familia con un beso en la mejilla y un “¡Hola!” alegre. (I used to greet my family with a kiss on the cheek and a cheerful “Hello!”)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Saludar (to greet) 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.