The Imperfect Tense of Tirar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Tiraba la pelota al aire. (I was throwing the ball into the air.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Tirar (to throw, pull) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

To throw: For example, De niño tiraba piedras al río. (As a child, I used to throw stones into the river.)

To discard or get rid of: For example, Tiraba la basura todos los días. (I used to throw out the trash every day.)

To pull or tug: For example, Tiraba de la cuerda con fuerza. (I pulled on the rope with force.)

To aim or shoot: For example, El arquero tiraba flechas al blanco. (The archer shot arrows at the target.)

To spill or drop: For example, Siempre tiraba la comida al suelo. (I always used to spill food on the floor.)

To demolish or knock down: For example, Tiraban el viejo edificio para construir uno nuevo. (They were demolishing the old building to build a new one.)

To head towards (colloquial): For example, Tirábamos para la playa los fines de semana. (We used to head to the beach on weekends.)

To flirt or hit on (colloquial, rude): For example, Tiraba la onda con todas las chicas. (He used to hit on all the girls.)

Examples

Examples of Tirar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo tiraba la pelota al aire mientras esperaba mi turno. (I was tossing the ball in the air while waiting for my turn.)

Ellos tiraban la basura en el contenedor todos los días. (They were throwing out the trash in the dumpster every day.)

Nosotros tirábamos las monedas en la fuente y pedíamos un deseo. (We were tossing coins into the fountain and making a wish.)

Tú tirabas las cartas sobre la mesa con frustración. (You were throwing the cards onto the table in frustration.)

Ella tiraba los dados con cuidado, esperando un buen resultado. (She was rolling the dice carefully, hoping for a good outcome.)

Vosotros tirabais las servilletas a los demás cuando nadie miraba. (You all were throwing napkins at each other when no one was looking.)

Ustedes tiraban las colillas de cigarro en el cenicero después de fumar. (You all were flicking the cigarette butts into the ashtray after smoking.)

Él tiraba las llaves sobre la mesa al llegar a casa. (He was tossing the keys onto the table when he got home.)

Ellas tiraban las cartas del tarot buscando respuestas. (They were drawing the tarot cards seeking answers.)

Yo tiraba la cuerda para hacer volar la cometa. (I was pulling the string to make the kite fly.)

Tú tirabas los dados con la esperanza de ganar el juego. (You were rolling the dice hoping to win the game.)

Nosotros tirábamos las cartas sobre la mesa después de cada ronda. (We were throwing the cards onto the table after each round.)

Ellos tiraban las latas vacías a la basura después de tomar su bebida. (They were tossing the empty cans into the trash after drinking their beverage.)

Ella tiraba las migas de pan a las palomas en el parque. (She was tossing breadcrumbs to the pigeons in the park.)

Vosotros tirabais los dados con entusiasmo durante el juego. (You all were rolling the dice enthusiastically during the game.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Tirar (to throw, pull) 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.