The Imperfect Tense of Cambiar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo cambiaba de trabajo cada año. (I used to change jobs every year.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Yo cambiaba de canal mientras veía la televisión. (I was changing channels while watching TV.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, cambiaba de opinión todo el tiempo. (As a child, I used to change my mind all the time.)

Describing a state or condition in the past: For example, El clima cambiaba constantemente. (The weather was constantly changing.)

Expressing an action interrupted by another in the past: For example, Cambiaba la llanta cuando comenzó a llover. (I was changing the tire when it started to rain.)

Expressing age in the past: For example, Cuando tenía 10 años, cambiaba de look cada semana. (When I was 10 years old, I used to change my look every week.)

Expressing a polite request: For example, ¿Podría cambiar de asiento, por favor? (Could you change seats, please?)

Slang/Idiomatic usage: Cambiaba de novia como de calzones. (He changed girlfriends like he changed underwear – referring to someone who frequently changes romantic partners.)

Examples

Examples of Cambiar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo cambiaba de canal cada vez que salía un comercial. (I would change the channel every time a commercial came on.)

Ella cambiaba de look cada temporada. (She would change her look every season.)

Nosotros cambiábamos de opinión constantemente. (We would change our minds constantly.)

Ellos cambiaban de trabajo con frecuencia. (They would change jobs frequently.)

Tú cambiabas de novia cada mes. (You would change girlfriends every month.)

Él cambiaba de carro cada año. (He would change cars every year.)

Ustedes cambiaban de casa cada vez que se mudaban. (You would change houses every time you moved.)

Yo cambiaba de look cuando estaba aburrido. (I would change my look when I was bored.)

Ella cambiaba de trabajo cada vez que le ofrecían un mejor puesto. (She would change jobs every time she was offered a better position.)

Nosotros cambiábamos de rutina cada fin de semana. (We would change our routine every weekend.)

Ellos cambiaban de tema de conversación constantemente. (They would change the topic of conversation constantly.)

Tú cambiabas de opinión sobre todo. (You would change your mind about everything.)

Él cambiaba de novia cada vez que se aburría. (He would change girlfriends every time he got bored.)

Ustedes cambiaban de planes a último minuto. (You would change plans at the last minute.)

Yo cambiaba de estilo de ropa cada temporada. (I would change my clothing style every season.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Cambiar (to change) 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.