Ever tried telling a story in Spanish and gotten stuck describing what was happening in the past? Enter the imperfect tense – your new best friend for painting a picture of what was going down back then! Whether you’re chatting about your epic Mexico City weekend or explaining to your Colombian colleagues why you were late to the Zoom meeting, the imperfect tense is your ticket to sounding more like a native speaker.

Understanding the Spanish Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense (or pretérito imperfecto if you want to sound fancy) is all about describing ongoing or repeated actions in the past. Think of it as the “setting the scene” tense. While the preterite tense tells us what happened, the imperfect tells us what was happening.

Core Uses of the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense shines in several key situations:

1. Describing ongoing past actions with no clear endpoint
2. Talking about habitual or repeated actions in the past
3. Setting the scene or providing background information
4. Expressing past emotions, mental states, and conditions
5. Discussing age, time, and weather in the past

Master the Conjugations

Let’s break this down into something super manageable. There are only three endings to remember:

-AR Verbs

Using llegar, esperar, estudiar as examples:

• Yo llegaba
• Tú llegabas
• Él/ella/usted llegaba
• Nosotros llegábamos
• Vosotros llegabais
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes llegaban

-ER/-IR Verbs

Using comer and vivir as examples:

• Yo comía/vivía
• Tú comías/vivías
• Él/ella/usted comía/vivía
• Nosotros comíamos/vivíamos
• Vosotros comíais/vivíais
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes comían/vivían

Pro Tip 💡

Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser, ir, and ver. That’s it!

• Ser: era, eras, era, éramos, erais, eran
• Ir: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban
• Ver: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían

The Imperfect in Action: Real-Life Examples

1. Setting the Scene for Your Stories

“Cuando llegaba a Madrid, hacía frío y la gente corría por las calles.”
(When I arrived in Madrid, it was cold and people were running in the streets.)

2. Describing Habitual Actions

“Cuando vivía en Colombia, escribía artículos todos los días.”
(When I lived in Colombia, I used to write articles every day.)

3. Talking About Time

“Eran las tres de la tarde cuando comenzaba la reunión.”
(It was three in the afternoon when the meeting was starting.)

4. Background Information in Professional Settings

“Entendía el proyecto cuando empezaba a trabajar aquí.”
(I understood the project when I started working here.)

Slang Alert: How Natives Really Use It

In many Spanish-speaking countries, especially in casual conversation, you’ll hear these common expressions using the imperfect:

• “¿Qué onda? ¿Qué querías?”
  (What’s up? What did you want?) – Super common in Mexico when someone messages you
• “Pensaba ir al gym, pero…”
  (I was thinking about going to the gym, but…) – The universal excuse!
• “Era que te iba a decir algo pero se me olvidó”
  (I was going to tell you something but I forgot) – We’ve all been there!

Pro Tips for Sounding Like a Native 🎯

1. Use the imperfect for emotional states:
   “Sentía mucha alegría por la noticia”
   (I was feeling very happy about the news)
2. Combine it with “mientras” for multitasking:
   “Leía mientras escuchaba música”
   (I was reading while listening to music)
3. Perfect for those “back in my day” stories:
   “Cuando era joven, jugaba en la calle”
   (When I was young, I used to play in the street)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don’t use it for specific, completed actions:
   ❌ “Ayer leía por dos horas”
   ✅ “Ayer leí por dos horas”
2. Remember it’s for ongoing or repeated actions:
   ❌ “Era a las 3 cuando llegaba“
   ✅ “Eran las 3 cuando llegó“

Ready to Level Up Your Spanish?

Ready to dive deeper? Head over to our complete imperfect tense guide, where you’ll find conjugation charts, audio recordings, and real-life examples for hundreds of Spanish verbs. Want to master the verb Esperar in the imperfect? Learn how to conjugate it in Latin American Spanish or Castilian Spanish. Need to use Ser in the imperfect? We’ve got conjugations for both Latin American Spanish and Castilian Spanish. And trust me – once you start practicing with our audio recordings and example sentences, you’ll be throwing around the imperfect tense like you’ve been speaking Spanish your whole life. ¡Vámonos!