The Imperfect Tense of girar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo giraba la llave para abrir la puerta. (I was turning the key to open the door.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Girar (to turn) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

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

Rotating or turning: For example, Las ruedas del coche giraban lentamente. (The wheels of the car were turning slowly.) This can also be used figuratively, like sus pensamientos giraban en torno a su familia. (Their thoughts revolved around their family.)

Changing direction: For example, el coche giraba a la derecha en la siguiente calle. (The car was turning right at the next street.) Colloquially, it can mean changing one’s stance, like después de mucho insistir, finalmente giró. (After much insisting, they finally changed their mind.)

Spinning or whirling: For example, la peonza giraba sin parar. (The spinning top kept whirling.) It can be used for dizziness too, like después de dar tantas vueltas, me giraba la cabeza. (After spinning around so much, my head was spinning.)

Circulating or moving around: For example, los rumores giraban por toda la ciudad. (The rumors were circulating around the whole city.) It’s also used for money circulation, like el dinero no giraba como antes. (Money wasn’t circulating like before.)

Examples

Examples of Girar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, giraba sin parar en los columpios del parque. (When I was a child, I spun non-stop on the swings at the park.)

El ventilador giraba lentamente, apenas refrescando la habitación. (The fan spun slowly, barely cooling the room.)

La Tierra giraba alrededor del Sol, marcando el paso de las estaciones. (The Earth spun around the Sun, marking the passing of the seasons.)

Cada vez que giraba la llave, la puerta rechinaba ruidosamente. (Every time I turned the key, the door creaked loudly.)

La bailarina giraba grácilmente sobre la punta de sus pies. (The dancer spun gracefully on the tips of her toes.)

El DJ giraba los discos con destreza en la cabina. (The DJ skillfully spun the records in the booth.)

La rueda de la fortuna giraba sin cesar en el parque de atracciones. (The wheel of fortune spun endlessly at the amusement park.)

Cada vez que giraba la esquina, el perro ladraba con fuerza. (Every time I turned the corner, the dog barked loudly.)

La conversación giraba en torno a los últimos acontecimientos políticos. (The conversation revolved around the latest political events.)

El trompo giraba velozmente sobre la mesa. (The spinning top spun quickly on the table.)

Ellos giraban las cabezas cada vez que pasaba un coche deportivo. (They turned their heads every time a sports car passed by.)

La calesita giraba alegremente con los niños a bordo. (The merry-go-round spun cheerfully with the children on board.)

Tú girabas el volante con cuidado en las curvas cerradas. (You turned the steering wheel carefully on the tight turns.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Girar (to turn) 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.