The Imperfect Tense of Quejarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Ella se quejaba de los ruidos de la calle. (She used to complain about the street noises.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Quejarse (to complain) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

Expressing a recurring complaint or habit in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, me quejaba de tener que ir a la escuela temprano. (When I was a child, I used to complain about having to go to school early.)

Describing an ongoing action or state in the past: For example, Mi abuela se quejaba de dolores en las rodillas. (My grandmother complained of knee pains.)

Expressing a complaint that was happening at a specific point in the past: For example, Anoche me quejaba de que la cena estaba fría. (Last night I was complaining that the dinner was cold.)

Slang/Idiomatic usage: No te quejes tanto, viejo. (Don’t complain so much, dude.) This usage implies the person is being overly negative or critical.

Examples

Examples of Quejarse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me quejaba constantemente de los ruidos de la construcción cerca de mi casa. (I was constantly complaining about the construction noises near my house.)

Ella se quejaba de que su jefe nunca la escuchaba. (She was complaining that her boss never listened to her.)

El mesero se quejaba de que los clientes no dejaban propinas suficientes. (The waiter was complaining that customers didn’t leave enough tips.)

Mis amigos se quejaban de que la película era muy aburrida. (My friends were complaining that the movie was very boring.)

La anciana se quejaba de los dolores en las articulaciones. (The elderly woman was complaining about joint pains.)

El equipo se quejaba de que el árbitro era injusto. (The team was complaining that the referee was unfair.)

Nosotros nos quejábamos de que el servicio de internet era muy lento. (We were complaining that the internet service was very slow.)

Ellos se quejaban de que los precios eran demasiado altos. (They were complaining that the prices were too high.)

Tú te quejabas de que tu roomie no limpiaba su desorden. (You were complaining that your roommate didn’t clean up their mess.)

La gente se quejaba de que el clima estaba muy caluroso. (People were complaining that the weather was too hot.)

Mi mamá se quejaba de que yo no la visitaba lo suficiente. (My mom was complaining that I didn’t visit her enough.)

El vecino se quejaba de que nuestro perro ladraba mucho. (The neighbor was complaining that our dog barked too much.)

Los pasajeros se quejaban de que el vuelo se había retrasado. (The passengers were complaining that the flight was delayed.)

Yo me quejaba de que mi trabajo era muy estresante. (I was complaining that my job was very stressful.)

Ellas se quejaban de que el gimnasio estaba demasiado lleno. (They were complaining that the gym was too crowded.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Quejarse (to complain) in the Imperfect Tense 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.