The Imperfect Tense of Borrar is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Yo borraba los mensajes después de leerlos. (I used to delete the messages after reading them.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Borrar (to erase) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

Erasing or deleting something: Por ejemplo, yo borraba los mensajes después de leerlos (I used to erase the messages after reading them). This can also be used figuratively, like borraba mis errores con una sonrisa (I erased my mistakes with a smile).

Removing or eliminating: For example, los niños borraban las huellas en la arena (the kids erased the footprints in the sand). Colloquially, it can mean to ignore or disregard something, like borraba sus comentarios groseros (I ignored their rude comments).

Blurring or fading: For example, la lluvia borraba las líneas del camino (the rain blurred the lines on the road). Figuratively, it can mean forgetting or losing memories, like el tiempo borraba los recuerdos de mi infancia (time erased the memories of my childhood).

Slang/Idiomatic: In some contexts, it can mean to leave or disappear quickly, like después de la fiesta, todos se borraron (after the party, everyone disappeared). It can also rudely imply ignoring or disregarding someone, like me borró por completo (they completely ignored me).

Examples

Examples of Borrar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo borraba los mensajes de texto después de leerlos. (I used to delete the text messages after reading them.)

Ella borraba sus huellas digitales de la computadora por razones de seguridad. (She used to erase her digital footprint from the computer for security reasons.)

Nosotros borrábamos los archivos viejos para liberar espacio en el disco duro. (We used to delete old files to free up space on the hard drive.)

Ellos borraban las notas adhesivas de la pared después de completar las tareas. (They used to erase the sticky notes from the wall after completing the tasks.)

Tú borrabas tus publicaciones en las redes sociales cuando ya no te gustaban. (You used to delete your social media posts when you no longer liked them.)

Él borraba su historial de navegación web para mantener su privacidad. (He used to clear his web browsing history to maintain his privacy.)

Ellas borraban los correos electrónicos no deseados de sus bandejas de entrada. (They used to delete unwanted emails from their inboxes.)

¿Borrabas los números de teléfono de tu agenda después de terminar una relación? (Did you use to delete phone numbers from your contacts after ending a relationship?)

Mi hermano borraba los juegos y aplicaciones que ya no usaba de su teléfono. (My brother used to delete games and apps he no longer used from his phone.)

En la oficina, borrábamos los documentos confidenciales después de su uso. (At the office, we used to delete confidential documents after using them.)

Cuando era estudiante, borraba mis apuntes después de cada examen. (When I was a student, I used to erase my notes after each exam.)

Mi abuela borraba las fotos viejas de su cámara digital para hacer espacio para nuevas. (My grandmother used to delete old photos from her digital camera to make room for new ones.)

En la reunión, el jefe borraba los puntos de la agenda a medida que se discutían. (In the meeting, the boss used to erase the agenda items as they were discussed.)

Antes de vender mi computadora, borraba todos los datos personales. (Before selling my computer, I used to delete all personal data.)

Cuando viajábamos, borrábamos las fotos que no nos gustaban de la cámara. (When we traveled, we used to delete the photos we didn’t like from the camera.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Borrar (to erase) 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.