The Imperfect Tense of amar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo amaba a mi novia cuando éramos jóvenes. (I loved my girlfriend when we were young.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Amar (to love) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

Expressing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Yo amaba a mi novia cuando vivíamos juntos. (I loved my girlfriend when we lived together.)

Describing repeated or habitual actions: For example, De niño, amaba jugar al fútbol todos los días. (As a child, I loved to play soccer every day.)

Expressing emotions, states of being, or descriptions in the past: For example, Amaba su sonrisa y su forma de ser. (I loved her smile and her way of being.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American regions, amar can be used informally to express a strong liking or enjoyment, such as Amaba esa película. (I loved that movie.)

Examples

Examples of Amar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo amaba leer novelas de misterio cuando era joven. (I used to love reading mystery novels when I was young.)

Ellos amaban ir de vacaciones a la playa cada verano. (They loved going on vacation to the beach every summer.)

Ella amaba cocinar platillos tradicionales para su familia. (She loved cooking traditional dishes for her family.)

¿Amabas ese programa de televisión tanto como yo? (Did you love that TV show as much as I did?)

Nosotros amábamos pasar tiempo al aire libre, caminando por el parque. (We loved spending time outdoors, walking in the park.)

Aunque amaba su trabajo, a veces extrañaba su ciudad natal. (Although she loved her job, she sometimes missed her hometown.)

En su juventud, amaba salir con amigos y divertirse. (In his youth, he loved going out with friends and having fun.)

Ustedes amaban ir al cine los fines de semana, ¿verdad? (You guys loved going to the movies on weekends, right?)

Mi abuela amaba tejer suéteres para toda la familia. (My grandmother loved knitting sweaters for the whole family.)

¿Amabas esa canción tanto como yo? La escuchaba una y otra vez. (Did you love that song as much as I did? I listened to it over and over.)

Ellas amaban ir de compras juntas los sábados por la mañana. (They loved going shopping together on Saturday mornings.)

Aunque amaba su trabajo, a veces se sentía agobiado por el estrés. (Although he loved his job, he sometimes felt overwhelmed by stress.)

¿Amabas esa serie de libros tanto como yo? No podía dejar de leerlos. (Did you love that book series as much as I did? I couldn’t stop reading them.)

Nosotros amábamos acampar y hacer fogatas en el bosque. (We loved camping and making bonfires in the woods.)

Ella amaba pintar cuadros abstractos en su tiempo libre. (She loved painting abstract paintings in her free time.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Amar (to love) 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.