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Conjugation Chart of “Sonreír” (to smile) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Sonreír”

The Imperfect Tense of Sonreír is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Ella sonreía mientras leía su libro favorito. (She was smiling while reading her favorite book.)

This verb follows the accented -ía conjugation pattern in the Imperfect Tense, which is common for verbs ending in -eír.

How to Use Sonreír in the Imperfect Tense

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

Expressing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, siempre sonreía al ver a mi abuela. (When I was a child, I would always smile when I saw my grandmother.)

Describing a repeated action in the past: For example, Cada vez que me contaba un chiste, yo sonreía. (Every time he told me a joke, I would smile.)

Describing a state of being or characteristic in the past: For example, De pequeño, sonreía con mucha facilidad. (As a child, I smiled very easily.)

Expressing a polite request or suggestion: For example, ¿Podrías sonreír para la foto? (Could you smile for the photo?)

Expressing sarcasm or irony (colloquial): For example, Sí, claro, sonreía mientras me quitaban el dinero. (Yeah, sure, I was smiling while they took my money.)

Real Life Examples of Sonreír in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, mi abuela sonreía cada vez que me veía. (When I was a child, my grandmother would smile every time she saw me.)

En la fiesta, todos sonreían y bailaban alegremente. (At the party, everyone was smiling and dancing happily.)

Aunque estaba cansado, sonreía y seguía trabajando. (Although he was tired, he kept smiling and working.)

Ella sonreía tímidamente cada vez que lo veía. (She would shyly smile every time she saw him.)

Vosotros sonreíais tanto que iluminabais la habitación. (You all smiled so much that you lit up the room.)

Nosotros sonreíamos al recordar los buenos momentos. (We smiled as we remembered the good times.)

Ellos sonreían y bromeaban como si fueran amigos de toda la vida. (They smiled and joked as if they had been friends forever.)

Tú sonreías tanto que tus mejillas dolían. (You smiled so much that your cheeks hurt.)

Yo sonreía nerviosamente antes de mi presentación. (I nervously smiled before my presentation.)

Ustedes sonreían y aplaudían al final del espectáculo. (You all smiled and applauded at the end of the show.)

Ella sonreía con orgullo al ver los logros de sus hijos. (She smiled with pride as she saw her children’s achievements.)

Aunque la situación era difícil, él sonreía y mantenía una actitud positiva. (Although the situation was difficult, he smiled and maintained a positive attitude.)

En la reunión familiar, todos sonreían y compartían historias divertidas. (At the family gathering, everyone smiled and shared funny stories.)

Vosotros sonreíais y disfrutabais del hermoso paisaje. (You all smiled and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.)

Ellas sonreían y se abrazaban después de no verse durante mucho tiempo. (They smiled and hugged each other after not seeing each other for a long time.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Sonreír (to smile) in the Imperfect 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.