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Conjugation Chart of “Abrir” (to open) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Abrir”

The Imperfect Tense of Abrir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo abría la puerta todas las mañanas. (I used to open the door every morning.)

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

How to Use Abrir in the Imperfect Tense

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

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Yo abría la puerta cuando sonó el timbre. (I was opening the door when the doorbell rang.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, siempre abría las ventanas por la mañana. (As a child, I always opened the windows in the morning.)

Describing a state or condition in the past: For example, La tienda abría a las 8 de la mañana. (The store opened at 8 in the morning.)

Expressing age in the past: For example, Cuando tenía 10 años, abría los regalos de Navidad con mucha emoción. (When I was 10 years old, I opened Christmas presents with great excitement.)

Expressing physical or emotional states in the past: For example, Siempre abría los ojos muy grandes cuando me sorprendía. (I always opened my eyes wide when I was surprised.)

Colloquial/Slang usage: For example, ¡Abría la boca cada vez que te veía! (I was drooling every time I saw you! – expressing attraction or desire).

Real Life Examples of Abrir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo abría la puerta con cuidado para no despertar a mi bebé. (I would open the door carefully so as not to wake my baby.)

Cuando era niño, abría los regalos de Navidad con mucha emoción. (When I was a child, I would open Christmas presents with great excitement.)

Mi abuela abría la ventana todas las mañanas para dejar entrar el aire fresco. (My grandmother would open the window every morning to let in the fresh air.)

En la oficina, abríamos un nuevo proyecto cada mes. (At the office, we would open a new project every month.)

Antes de salir de viaje, abría mi maleta y revisaba que no me faltara nada. (Before going on a trip, I would open my suitcase and check that I wasn’t missing anything.)

Cada vez que abría el refrigerador, me daban ganas de comer algo. (Every time I would open the fridge, I would feel like eating something.)

Cuando abríamos el restaurante por la mañana, preparábamos todo para recibir a los clientes. (When we would open the restaurant in the morning, we would prepare everything to welcome customers.)

Mi mamá abría la puerta con una gran sonrisa cada vez que llegaba a casa. (My mom would open the door with a big smile every time I arrived home.)

Ellos abrían un nuevo negocio cada año, buscando nuevas oportunidades. (They would open a new business every year, looking for new opportunities.)

Cuando abría el periódico por la mañana, lo primero que leía eran las noticias locales. (When I would open the newspaper in the morning, the first thing I would read was the local news.)

En la biblioteca, abríamos los libros con mucho cuidado para no dañarlos. (At the library, we would open the books very carefully so as not to damage them.)

Cada vez que abría mi correo electrónico, me encontraba con un montón de mensajes nuevos. (Every time I would open my email, I would find a bunch of new messages.)

Tú abrías la puerta de tu casa con una llave, pero yo usaba la huella digital. (You would open the door to your house with a key, but I would use my fingerprint.)

Ellas abrían sus corazones y compartían sus historias más íntimas en el grupo de apoyo. (They would open their hearts and share their most intimate stories in the support group.)

Nosotros abríamos un nuevo capítulo en nuestras vidas cada vez que nos mudábamos a una nueva ciudad. (We would open a new chapter in our lives every time we moved to a new city.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Abrir (to open) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.