The imperfect tense of tirar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Tiraba la pelota al aire cuando era niño. (I used to throw the ball in the air when I was a child.)

Tirar is a regular -ar verb, so its imperfect tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Tirar (to throw, pull) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American 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 pull: For example, Tiraba de la cuerda con fuerza. (I was pulling on the rope hard.)

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

To shoot or fire: For example, Los soldados tiraban balas al enemigo. (The soldiers were firing bullets at the enemy.)

To aim or direct: For example, Tiraba miradas furtivas a su crush. (He was throwing furtive glances at his crush.)

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

To spill or pour: For example, Tiraba agua sobre las plantas. (She was pouring water on the plants.)

To print or publish: For example, La editorial tiraba mil copias del libro. (The publishing house was printing a thousand copies of the book.)

To spend or waste (colloquial): For example, Tiraba su dinero en apuestas. (He was wasting his money on bets.)

To hit or strike (colloquial): For example, Le tiraba golpes a su hermano. (He was hitting his brother.)

To flirt or make a pass (colloquial, rude): For example, Le tiraba piropos a cada chica que pasaba. (He was throwing cheesy pickup lines at every girl who passed by.)

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.)

Ella tiraba las cartas sobre la mesa para leer el futuro. (She was throwing the cards onto the table to read the future.)

Nosotros tirábamos la basura en el contenedor todos los días. (We were throwing out the trash in the dumpster every day.)

Tú tirabas demasiado dinero en cosas innecesarias. (You were spending too much money on unnecessary things.)

Ellos tiraban los dados con la esperanza de ganar el juego. (They were rolling the dice hoping to win the game.)

Él tiraba indirectas sobre lo que quería de regalo. (He was dropping hints about what he wanted as a gift.)

Ustedes tiraban la comida a la basura sin terminarla. (You all were throwing away food without finishing it.)

Yo tiraba las monedas en la fuente de los deseos. (I was tossing coins into the wishing fountain.)

Ella tiraba las cartas del tarot para leer el futuro de sus clientes. (She was throwing the tarot cards to read the future for her clients.)

Nosotros tirábamos la basura en el basurero de la esquina. (We were throwing out the trash in the corner dumpster.)

Tú tirabas el dinero en apuestas arriesgadas. (You were spending money on risky bets.)

Ellos tiraban las latas vacías a la calle sin importarles la basura. (They were throwing empty cans onto the street without caring about the litter.)

Él tiraba indirectas sobre lo que quería para cenar. (He was dropping hints about what he wanted for dinner.)

Ustedes tiraban la ropa sucia en el cesto sin doblarla. (You all were throwing dirty clothes into the hamper without folding them.)

Yo tiraba las cartas del tarot para tratar de predecir mi futuro. (I was throwing the tarot cards to try to predict my future.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Tirar (to throw, pull) 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.