The Imperfect Tense of comenzar is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Yo comenzaba a estudiar español cuando vivía en Madrid. (I used to begin studying Spanish when I lived in Madrid.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Comenzar (to begin) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of comenzar is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

Ongoing action in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, comenzaba a jugar al fútbol todas las tardes. (When I was a child, I would start playing soccer every afternoon.)

Repeated action in the past: For example, Cada vez que llovía, comenzaba a llover dentro de casa también. (Every time it rained, it would start raining inside the house too.)

Habitual action in the past: For example, Mis abuelos comenzaban su día muy temprano. (My grandparents would start their day very early.)

Idiomatic usage: ¡Comenzaba a hartarme de sus excusas! (I was starting to get fed up with their excuses!)

Examples

Examples of Comenzar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo comenzaba a estudiar español el año pasado. (I began studying Spanish last year.)

Ellos comenzaban a trabajar muy temprano por la mañana. (They began working very early in the morning.)

Tú comenzabas a correr para mantenerte en forma. (You began running to stay in shape.)

Nosotros comenzábamos a planear nuestras vacaciones con mucha anticipación. (We began planning our vacation well in advance.)

Ustedes comenzaban a aprender un nuevo idioma por diversión. (You began learning a new language for fun.)

Ella comenzaba a cocinar desde muy joven. (She began cooking from a very young age.)

Vosotros comenzabais a buscar trabajo después de graduaros. (You began looking for a job after graduating.)

Él comenzaba a pintar como hobby los fines de semana. (He began painting as a hobby on weekends.)

Yo comenzaba a leer novelas para mejorar mi vocabulario. (I began reading novels to improve my vocabulary.)

Ellas comenzaban a hacer ejercicio para bajar de peso. (They began exercising to lose weight.)

Tú comenzabas a tocar la guitarra cuando eras adolescente. (You began playing the guitar when you were a teenager.)

Nosotros comenzábamos a ahorrar para nuestra jubilación. (We began saving for our retirement.)

Ustedes comenzaban a viajar al extranjero para ampliar sus horizontes. (You began traveling abroad to broaden your horizons.)

Ella comenzaba a meditar para reducir el estrés. (She began meditating to reduce stress.)

Vosotros comenzabais a aprender un oficio después de la escuela. (You began learning a trade after school.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Comenzar (to begin) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.